Slipping its Grasp
by lost.long.ago
Summary: What if things in New Alexandria had turned out differently?  Noble team struggles against the odds to survive, or perhaps a little more.  Potentially femslash.
1. Chapter 1

" Look at this place. Used to be the crown-jewel. Hmph. Not anymore…"

The room's mood was unquestionable as Six silently strode in, and even if the others didn't voice it like Jun, the atmosphere of the space made it clear they felt no differently. Kat, the only one taking immediate notice of her arrival, and who nearly always had some snarky comment, gave her but a grim nod of acknowledgement as she tinkered with a radio pack. It was the sort carried by Marines and ODST officers in the field.

Its owner was probably gone – one more broken body lost in the ruins of the city.

They'd all been through hell in the past few hours. The whole planet had. But right now, Six understood that it was loss of one man that was weighing her team down more so than the loss of this city, or even the looming potential loss of Reach. Soundlessly, the newest member of Noble took a place leaning against a decorative strut in the civilian office they'd setup a base in, settling in and letting her gaze wander across the room.

"Hey, you made it." Jun's greeting confirmed his natural, seemingly superhuman hearing as his helmetless gaze turned to her, his mouth offering a weak smile.

"It's a regular family reunion."

The bluntness of the pained voice tore both their gazes away. Slowly, Six's gloved hand wandered down her thigh to her tactical case. The snaps came free, and within seconds she grasped the container's sole content. Her eyes left the visor's skull engraving and settled on chain in her hands as she held it out to Emile. A set of dog tags dangled, tinkling gently at the chain's end.

After a moment, the sound of a knife running over steel filled the near silence. Emile shook his head. "Keep 'em. He gave them to you." He stopped his sharpening and looked straight at her, brandishing his knife in a gesture of commitment. "I'll honor him my own way."

"Jorge always said he would never leave reach."

Jun's reminiscing was cutoff as Emile let out a chuckle. "The big man always was sentimental."

Six let their fallen comrade's tags slide back into the pouch as Carter stirred for the first time.

"He gave his life thinking he'd just saved the planet," the Commander countered, striding over to the wall of windows where Jun was putting his binoculars to work. "We should all be so lucky."

Six grimaced. She wasn't afraid of death. Doubtlessly, none of the soldiers in this room were. They'd all been conditioned to accept the possibility, had seen it happen endless times in the field, and did their best to minimize its chances.

But Spartans never die.

Perhaps the tags she now kept disproved the ideology she'd seen in so many pamphlets and heard in so many speeches and pep-talks. He wasn't alive. No one would remember him; no one would be there for him to live on in, except for a few acquaintances and Noble. But maybe that would be enough. And, unless they managed to make their way off the planet and to safety, so that they might finally turn to debriefing and records, it would have to do.

"Sir." Jun broke the silence uncertainly. "That true about Gauntlet, Red, and Echo teams assigned to civilian evac ops?"

The question hit Six like a tank, her shielded eyes flickering back and forth, unable decide whether to settle upon the Carter or Two.

"Those are senior-level communiques," the Commander began accusingly as he turned toward the techie.

"I hear what I hear." Kat's matter-of-fact voice cut him off without a thought as she half turned to face him. "Point is, why put Spartans on defensive deployment?"

"I need that link to SATCOM, Kat." He was dodging the subject and it was beginning to put Six on edge.

"Chasing it, but this console has got more shrapnel in it than transceivers. You didn't answer my question."

"You want to know if we're losing?"

"I know we're losing. I want to know if we've lost."

One turned away, his cobalt-armored back facing the team in silence. He seemed about to speak when a harsh beeping filled the room, stealing everyone's attention. Kat's effort had come to fruition.

"Colonel Holland. Hailing us. What's he doing on an open channel?" she asked mindlessly as she played with the signal.

"Let's hear it."

"_Southwest quadrant of the city, over? …Sierra 259, if you're receiving, I'm authorizing over-ride of radio-security protocols to link with this channel." _The message was barely decipherable through the crackling static.

"How long for a secure link?" Carter asked.

"I can't guarantee secure anymore," Kat replied.

"Could the Covenant trace it to us?"

"… I could."

"_Noble leader. This is a __**priority one**__ hail. If you are receiving, acknowledge immediately."_

All eyes were on the small bundle of wires and silicon until Kat suddenly snatched up the ear piece. Without looking, she lifted it over her shoulder and set it in the Commander's hand. "Keep it brief.

"Carter here. Uh huh…"

Six tried to listen but Jun stole her attention. "We've got movement. Multiple Covenant vehicles vacating the area, and they're in a hurry."

"How often you see Covenant retreat for no reason?" Emile asked thoughtfully, grabbing his shotgun and picking himself up from the floor.

"Radiation flare." Kat stared down at a data pad. "Big. Forty million roentgens."

Six felt her stomach plummet. _They can't… not yet. Are they going to -_

Carter turned to them. "I just lost Holland. What's going on?"

"Atomic excitement scrambled the signal," Two explained, her voice hard and focused. Six honed her gaze on the window, searching as Kat updated the reading. "90 million now."

"How close?"

A sudden flare of light illuminated the room, followed promptly by a ground-shaking boom.

"That close!" Kat yelled in reply as she tried to take to her own feet.

A fraction of a second later Six found herself in a cloud of flying glass accompanied by a powerful gust of hot air. Fighting to keep her bearings, she turned about to see Noble team stumbling towards the elevators, Kat still struggling to stand.

"C'mon." Grabbing Two's helmet with one hand, Six hoisted her teammate to her feet with the other and propelled her towards the open doors. The other three were already in one of the two rides, its doors closing as the two late-comers sprinted towards the other. Kat beat her to it, slamming on the buttons the second Six stepped in.

Six fought the adrenaline surging through her veins, trying to remain calm and slow her breathing. As she returned the helmet in her hands, she felt a bit embarrassed by its owner's seeming air of calm.

The lieutenant stared at Six's face as if she could see through the visor between them. "First glassing?"

She sounded almost casual, but Six found she was quickly becoming able to read her teammate, sensing the underlying hint of tension in her voice. Not entirely trusting her own voice, she replied with a nod.

"Me too." Deftly sliding her helmet on, Kat turned her attention to the rest of the team. "Don't worry, I'm on it. Our best option is a fallout bunker on sub-level two, 96 meters northeast. We get orders from Holland, Sir?"

Carter's voice crackled to life inside of Six's helmet. "We're being re-deployed at Sword-Base."

"Sword!" Jun asked incredulously. "The Covenant own it now!"

"Which is why they want us for a torch-and-burn op, keep Halsey's excavation's data from falling into enemy hands."

"If it hasn't already," Kat quipped.

The elevator doors slid open, revealing the three other teammates sprinting away. Six let Kat take the lead, following close on her heels.

"Maybe, but according to Holland, the Covenant are still hunting for something." His voice made Six realize that even though they were grasping at straws, Carter wasn't planning on backing down from orders, no matter how utterly suicidal they might be. But she didn't take the effort to think about it much, staring up cautiously at the patch of open sky in the ceiling above her.

Kat's broadcasted protests sounded distant as a hovering Phantom came into view. It only took a fraction of a second for Six's gaze to hone in on a needle-rifle-wielding Sangheili leaning out the side, the barrel of the weapon pointing straight at them. _Shit._

"No!" Six activated her sprint enhancement and plowed into Kat's figure, trying to cover her body with her own as they both went flying forward.

"Six, what are you-"

A shot rang out and pain seared through the back of her shoulder. Suddenly her legs lost their strength, sending the two of them both toppling to the ground. Their momentum skidded their tangled bodies clear of the opening and through the open doors into the bunker. _Oh no._

"Six!" The female voice, it's Slavic accent broadcasting shock and fear, rang out in Six's helmet. "Commander, Noble down!"

The newest Noble tried to turn herself onto her back but her limbs refused to respond. Hands grasped her arm and a moment later she was staring up at Noble Two's visored face.

"Six, stay with me. Stay with me."

_Strange, everything seems off-colored._ Her field of vision was interrupted by splatters of crimson. By the time she finally realized it was blood, her chest was convulsing in fits; more of the scarlet liquid flew from her lips and onto her visor with each painful cough.

_Kat._ Six struggled, trying to say the name, but couldn't. Her teammate's figure was becoming harder and harder to discern as her surroundings began to turn black. A thought struck before the world left her.

_But Spartans never die._


	2. Chapter 2

It was no more than half the size of her thumb nail and hadn't yet moved. Really, if it wasn't for the faintly glowing patch of electric blue on the back of its wing covers, she probably wouldn't have even noticed it.

_Careful now._ She slowly pulled off the plastic lid on her glass vial. Its legs twitched as if it sensed the container hovering above it.

"Gotcha!" A smile broke across her face as she managed to set the jar over the beetle just before it popped its wings and tried to take off. It pinged of the glass walls as she lifted the prison and slid its transparent plastic lid back on. "How 'bout this one?" She lifted the bug to eye level, staring curiously at its vibrant scarlet wings and eight legs.

"Here, let me see it." Rory held out a thin hand and she set the vial in it. She watched as he pulled his glasses off the narrow bridge of his nose and took a closer look. "Ah, looks like a cerulean-luco."

"Ah man!" she exclaimed in disappointment. "Do you think we'll ever find a new one?"

A smile flitted across his face. "Of course we will. On Earth, scientists still occasionally stumble across new species, and that's after thousands of years of inhabitance and research. In comparison, Arcadia is a newborn paradise of the unexplored."

Despite her sigh of discontent, she knew he was right. He was always right about these things. But that didn't mean she had to like it. She watched as he ran the container through his hands, observing her catch from every angle. _So much patience. Thought. Knowledge. _"Why do you do it?" she asked.

"Do what?"

"Sit out here, looking at bugs and plants. All the other big kids hang out at the shopping center or play basketball at the courts." She leaned against a tree, watching his slight figure.

His shoulders slumped a little. "Maybe I just don't want to."

"I don't think so."

"You're like, seven. Like you really know anything about it."

She crossed her arms and stared at him, clenching her jaw and waiting.

"Why are little sisters always so annoying?"

The bait almost got her, but she caught herself and just kept watching him.

"What do you expect! I can't… I can't do what other teens do. You know that!" He finally stopped fidgeting for a second to look at her. "This, this is something I can do. Something that I can succeed at - that I can prove myself through."

"For your information, I'm eight. And you don't need to prove yourself. Rory, you're great, even if you are my stinky brother." Taking a knee, she started rummaging through Rory's hard leather field case for another empty jar. As she browsed, a bit of transparent, golden brown stone caught her eye. "What's this?"

She watched his gawky frame as he shambled over to her.

"Amber. It's tree-sap that's been sitting around for a couple hundred years. And that," he said pointing to a large ant trapped under the surface, "got stuck in it before it hardened."

"It looks like it could still be alive," she murmured, turning it over in her hands. She looked for a moment longer before grudgingly offering it back to him, but he wasn't paying attention.

"What's that sound?"

A low humming was filling the air around them, almost like an airplane. "I don't know." She stared up at the sky through the treetops. "I think we should-"

The sentence was cut short by a distant boom.

"What the hell was that?" Rory asked, looking around.

"I'm telling Mom you swore!"

"Shut up!" He held up a hand, signaling her to be quiet. The humming noise was quickly growing into a roar.

Something caught the girl's eye through the foliage. It was an aircraft unlike anything she'd ever seen. "Why does that plane look like a purple flying turtle? Rory? Rory!"

He didn't answer at first, mouth gaping as he followed the object's flight. "It… it can't be," he murmured, voice thick with fright. "A phantom?"

"What's a phan-"

"C'mon! Let's get back to the bike." Rory took off at a cautious jog, ignoring her questions and disagreement.

"Hey, you're not supposed to be running! And what about your bug box? I don't wanna go home yet!" But despite her shouts of opposition, he didn't stop and she had to sprint to catch up.

The moment they reached the red ATV Rory hopped on, pulling his little sister up and setting her in front of him. She watched him hit the buttons and slam his thumb on the gas trigger, cranking the wheel to spin them 180 degrees before taking off like a bullet. She opened her mouth to inform him of her intent to tattle on his speeding the second they got home, but shut it as she realized she actually enjoyed the blurring scenery and strong wind in her hair as they flew down the tree-shaded trail.

However, as the trees began to become fewer, the buildings of Scon entered her sight the feeling of joyful freedom left her.

The view made her stomach plummet.

Nothing moved on the empty streets, but that was almost normal for the small farming suburb. But the scorch marks on the pavement, the occasional collapsed wall, and the flickering flames eating away at the debris destroyed any sense of security her home town had once offered.

"Rory…" the name rolled out numbly as she stared at her surroundings. They turned off onto their street, pulling up onto the front lawn of their house before her brother cut the engine and helped her down. Both bound up the steps and onto the porch before something caught the younger's eye. "Rory, is that… is that ?" Her voice was quiet as she pointed to an elderly body sprawled limply in a garden next door. "Rory, is-"

"C'mon, don't look." He grabbed her by the wrist and pushed open the already ajar door.

The place was a mess. Chairs and broken glass from fallen dishes covered the kitchen floor, accompanied by the now bent chandelier.

Rory pulled her to face him, bending to match her eye level. "Stay down here and be quiet. I'm going to have a look around."

She nodded wordlessly as he turned away and headed up the stairs to the second floor. Staring around mindlessly, she stood there unmoving and unthinking until something hit her. _Where's Mom?_ She listened to her brother's footsteps upstairs for a second before walking into the dining room.

It was empty and almost untouched. Feeling more confident, she kept going, searching both the living room and bathroom before giving up and going up the stairs to find Rory. "Rory?" She called out his name softly, and heard something stir down the hallway. "Rory?"

Walking down towards the sound, he suddenly appeared next to her, striding out of the bathroom.

"What were you doing in there?" she asked, peeking around him as he tried to pull the door shut. There was a red pool of liquid on the floor and she swore she caught a glimpse of a hand. "What-"

"It's nothing."

She looked up at his red eyes and then back at the now closed door. "Was that-"

"I said it was nothing, now c'mon." He took off nearly running down the hall and back down the stairs.

"Rory, where are you going? We have to find Mom!" she called, looking hesitantly at the door before she took off after him.

Ignoring the mess, he ran out the front door and jumped back on the ATV, signaling her to climb on.

"Where are we going?"

"That military base by Pirth." His voice cracked with tension.

"But why? And why are we taking the trails?" She asked as they took off, speeding back into the woods.

"It's faster." It was all he said as he leaned in close over her back, and she got the feeling that any more questions would just be a waste of breath.

She watched the trees and brush fly past for ten minutes before suddenly something popped out of the foliage and onto the trail, its back to the pair of children. _What IS that? _It seemed almost humanoid in shape, but was taller and dark blue. "Rory!"

"Oh shit, shit, shit, shit," he whispered frantically, the closeness of his mouth to her ear the only reason she heard the curses.

The thing suddenly turned to look at them and she noticed something in its hand that she couldn't help but think looked an awful lot like a water gun. It raised the weapon and started firing. It wasn't clear, harmless liquid that issued forth, but rather blue spheres accompanied by a strange swooshing noise like something from a sci-fi movie.

The seven year old wanted to scream but couldn't muster up the presence of mind to do so.

"Hold on!"

She felt Rory's leg move as he shifted into the next gear, driving straight at the figure. She wanted to pull the brakes, sure they were going to hit it, until it dove out of the way at the last possible second.

"Hell yeah!" Rory yelled, his voice sounding almost shrill with panic. "We've got thi-"

The sound of another shot sounded out behind them and she suddenly felt her brother convulse at her back. "Rory?"

He slumped forward, his body pressing harder against hers but his hands still gripping the handlebars. "You know," he began, his voice in her ear and sounding thin with pain, "…you know how I was teaching you to drive?"

She nodded frantically. "Yes!"

"Well," he said breathing heavily, "time to put those lessons to use. Take …the wheel."

"But-"

"Take it! Just keep going, as fast as you can."

She swallowed hard and nodded again, pushing away his hands on the bars and replacing them with her own as. Taking a deep breath, she leaned forward like she'd seen him do and hit the gas.

She was beginning to fear she'd some how taken a wrong turn when suddenly they broke into a clearing. The tall concrete walls of Fort Hearth were straight ahead, but the smoke and beings between her and them nearly made her falter. Bodies and smoldering fires were strewn across the field, interspersed with groups of the blue things shooting at soldiers who were returning fire with their own guns.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no," she cried as she raced the bike through the field, trying to swing wide of the fighting as she aimed for the gates. "Come on…"

_Nearly there. _They were but ten yards from the open gates, a marine frantically waving them through the gates, when an ear shattering explosion suddenly sounded out underneath them. _No!_ The bike bucked and turned, its back end rising and sending the pair flying forward.

"Rory!" she screamed as she felt his arms wrapping around her. His figure twisted, pulling her on top of him so that she was facing up at the sky. _His bones!_ she thought, horrified by what he was doing. "Don't-"

The air left her lungs as her back slammed into his chest and they started skidding. When they finally stopped, Rory was resting limply on top of her, pinning her to the ground. "Rory?"

Strong hands pulled his body away from hers before locking onto her arms. A woman's face blurred over her. She felt herself being lifted into the air and hoisted onto a shoulder swathed in deep green cloth. _Rory. _

His body lay on the ground, growing more distant as the soldier carrying her began to run. Another Marine slid to a stop next to him and felt for a pulse; the soldier got up, shaking his head, and ran off. _Why isn't he… why aren't they taking him? _ "Rory." The sound came out as little more than a stunningly painful whisper. "Rory!" Her voice croaked as her chest heaved with effort.

She felt herself being pulled down off her perch and realized they were in some sort of military helicopter. _I can't let them leave him! _She tried to run back, but hands were holding her back. "Rory!" Her voice was a weak yell. "You have to get him! Please!" she begged, struggling to get away.

"He's gone. We can't…"

The voice was distant; it was wrong. "No!" Her limbs thrashed violently out at those holding her despite her darkening vision. "No. You can't leave him! Rory, get up."

The floor moved underneath her feet and the ground grew more distant by the moment. Her brother lie there, out of reach, face planted in the ground. _You have to get up! Don't just leave me here. Rory, please. Rory…_

_Thanks everybody for the reviews and subscriptions! It's all much appreciated. Critiques are definitely welcome as well. _


	3. Chapter 3

"Rory!" Six thrashed, trying to drag herself up into a sitting position, but a pair of hands fought to hold her down. _Must break free!_ She thought vehemently, throwing wild punches into the space above her, a few of them connecting with skin.

"Six! Stop, it's me, Six!"

After a few more flying fists, she came to her senses, and let herself be pushed to the ground, chest heaving in exertion. Trying to steady her breathing, she began to open her eyes but quickly found the light to be nearly blinding.

"Sorry, one second." One of the hands left her for a second and Six heard a clicking noise. The hand returned to her shoulder. "There, now try."

Slowly, she let her eyelids flutter open. She couldn't help but think the sight that greeted her comforting as a worried face came into focus. _Kat…_ It took her a moment to realize the word had actually left her mouth.

"Yes. It's me. We're all right now," came the careful reply.

_Now? What is she-_ Suddenly what had happened hit Six, and she started struggling again. "We've got to keep moving. We can't just stay-"

But Kat's hands were still at the ready, pinning Six in place. "No. Sit still."

A sudden awareness of pain in her chest ended all argument as Six's body went rigid.

"Careful!" Kat scolded, but her voice was twinge with concern as she let one hand snake under the back of Six's head to keep it from slamming into the floor. The other slid down from the pained Noble's shoulder to her chest, stopping to rest gently near the injury.

Six fought to dispel the pain. "What happened?" she asked through clenched teeth, fighting to open her eyes and meet Kat's stare.

"You took a sniper round while trying to play hero. Just about finished you off too. Had us all worried for a while, damn fool."

She began to laugh but the pain in the movement cut it short. "Sorry about that. Are you okay?"

"Don't worry about me. You took the hit. I'll just have a couple of bruises from that exciting wake up of yours."

"Sorry," she offered, slightly flustured. She tensed to sit up again but caught herself and paused. "Can I sit up?" she added.

"Slowly."

Six labored to sit up, and when she finally made it, felt as if she were going to give out and fall back but didn't, silently thankful for Kat's support as she looked around.

The room was a small space enclosed by concrete walls. Six glanced around, noticing the only source of light was the flashlights on Kat's helmet, which was lying discarded next to them.

"Where are we? And what happened to everyone else?"

"An underground bunker in the city. Carter and the rest ran ahead to Sword-Base as soon as you were stabilized."

"You should've gone with them. They'll need as many guns as they can get."

She shrugged away the comment and gave a rare smile. "I had someone to look after." Her voice took a more serious turn. "We're running out of soldiers as it is, and even with an injury, a Spartan like you is worth about a platoon of Marines in a war. We're supposed to catch up as quickly as possible."

_Tactically irrational, _Six thought. Carter probably hadn't approved of it, but whoever had convinced him otherwise, well, she wasn't complaining.

"Ah." The injured Spartan closed her eyes for a moment, pondering how painful the trip would be and just how badly she'd been wounded. The thoughts faded when it suddenly dawned on her that Kat's hands were touching nearly-bare skin. She looked down and found that her armor had been peeled back to the waist, a tattered, previously-white civilian shirt in its place. One of her hands unconsciously darted to her face, checking for a helmet, but settling for pushing away a lock of ebony hair when it found none.

Kat watched her. "I had to strip you down to administer additional biofoam. First time I ever saw your actual face, you were almost dead. You should show it more often."

Six chuckled painfully and shifted to get on her feet, but quickly stopped as the pain became sharp.

"Morphine. I've only got a few syringes, but..."

Six watched as Kat reached over towards her helmet where a few syringes sat on the floor. She reached out and grabbed her hand. "Not yet. Just give me a second." Taking deep breaths, she let her chest rise and fall in a slow rhythm. The most useful part of her past martial arts training she'd ever acquired was knowledge of basic meditation technique. The deep throaty breaths helped to clear away the awareness of pain. "Alright. Help me up," she said when she was finally ready.

Kat's arms looped under hers, gently hoisting her to her feet. The maneuver was painful, but manageable. As soon as she was on her feet, Kat slipped under her arm to her front, laying one supporting hand on Six's shoulder and the other near the wound as Six slumped forward slightly but didn't make a sound.

"You're one steely Spartan, Six."

That got a smile. "I think that's the second time you've said that in the past… how long have I been out?"

"Nearly four hours," came the answer. "And I only say it because it's true. I want to say that shot nicked your lung, and if it hadn't passed through you, the internal explosion would've killed you for sure. We're lucky you're here. You shouldn't take so many idiotic risks."

"The risk was worth it." Six looked up, her gray eyes locking with Kat's blue ones unyieldingly. "My armor-"

"Is going to be a bitch to put back on," Two finished, pulling her gaze away and turning her attention back to the injury. "The soft suit is going to be a struggle, and painful, but the support might help."

Six nodded in agreement and began undoing her roughly buttoned shirt.

It took over half an hour of sweat and pain, and two ccs of grudgingly taken pain-killers, to finally get the Spartan suited up.

"That, was painful."

Kat shrugged, looking the uniformed warrior up and down. "Not as bad as I'd expected. Either your pain tolerance is a lot higher than most, or that sniper killed some nerves."

Six twisted her body slowly, testing different movements. "Or maybe you're hands have got magical healing capabilities and made me all better."

That earned her a snort. "Yeah, that's me, the magician." Kat slid the spare morphine into her tactical hard-case before grabbing both their helmets in one hand and a DMR with the other. "Here," she said, shoving the rifle at Six who slung it over her back. "We've got a lot of ground to cover to catch up to the team."

"What's the game plan?" injured Spartan asked, taking her helmet and checking inside for blood. It was clean. "Thanks."

"We've got to get out of the city. It's an irradiated death trap. There is an ODST and Marine post three kilometers east of the city. The Commander asked them to try to hold a bird for us. If we're going to find some wings, that's our best bet. Otherwise, we'll be going by ground."

"A post? How was it not targeted during the attack on the city?"

"From what I can tell, it was one of the posts we first established on Reach. I'm assuming the Covenant either overlooked it or didn't see it as a much of a threat, and with good reason, as most of our troops were stationed out of Hardt to the north."

"Well then," Six said, shaking out her hands and stiffly picking up an assault rifle leaning against a nearby wall. "We'd best get a move on."

Kat looked at her for a second, seemingly unsure, before sliding her helmet over her face once again. Touching her M6G, she nodded and turned for the door.

"If we're lucky, there won't be any Covenant patrols left in the sector," Six thought aloud as she fell in step behind her teammate as they reached a staircase.

"If we were really lucky, we wouldn't be on our way to secure a lost cause," Kat said darkly. Six saw her suddenly shake her head and shift to stand a little straighter. "But I'll take what luck we've already had today." She turned her head to look over her shoulder. "I-thanks, Six," she said haltingly.

The newer Noble waved the sentiment away. "Eh, you patched me up, so let's call it even. Plus, I punched you in the face."

Two let out a short laugh. "If that could've even been called a punch…"

"Ouch." Six cut the chatter as they reached an emergency exit door, watching as Kat pushed it open.

The streets were a mess, the debris and bodies inhabiting them seeming to glow in the fading light. Neither woman said anything at the sight. They'd seen it before, maybe not so bad, but one skeleton battlefield wasn't much different from the next.

Kat started forward, and Six paused only for a moment before taking off after her, ignoring the hot pain at her ribs.

_This is going to be one long jog._

* * *

><p>It was dark by the time the pair finally stepped through the open gates to the post. They had made good time, stopping only once in at the edge of the city when they ran into a pair of jackals, and only long enough for Kat to put a bullet in each of their heads.<p>

They'd cautiously explored the facility, and it hadn't taken them long to realize the facility had been evacuated. After scrounging up some ammo, the pair made their way outside again.

The courtyard was empty, except for a few mongooses and one lone falcon sitting off to one side.

"Looks like we are in luck," Kat said casually as the pair strode over to the bird.

It was an older model, heavily dented from use, but after a quick check-over Six was pretty confident it would fly. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked as Two made a move towards the cockpit.

"Flying us out of here."

"Like hell you are. Who's the pilot here?" Six asked half-playfully.

"Who doesn't have a gaping hole in their chest?" Kat countered wryly.

"Who just got four hours of peaceful rest?"

"I didn't know blacking-out and nearly dying could be called peaceful."

Six ignored the comment and released the hatch, climbing in to the pilot's seat before the Lieutenant Commander could stop her.

"Six, don't make me ord-"

The newer Noble waved a hand to cut her off. "Kat, the 'gaping hole in my chest' isn't going to impair my arm movement that much. Besides, I can keep us under the radar, and you can try to catch up on a little sleep since you probably won't get another chance for a while."

Hesitating, Kat finally nodded. "Alright, get us airborne." She disappeared from view as Six pulled the hatch shut. "They dismantled the machine guns?" Kat asked in surprise as she climbed in. "You better be able to keep out of sight…"

Six didn't reply as she started powering up the falcon's systems. She inspected the gauges and was about to hit the ignition when she noticed one of the dials. "Uh, Kat?"

"Yes, Six?"

"How far is it to Sword-Base from here? 300 miles?"

"Approximately."

Tapping a finger against the dusty glass covering the fuel gauge, Six quietly begged the needle to bounce up. It didn't. "Well, we're gonna be cutting it close fuel wise."

"Damn." Kat paused for a second. "Did you see a fueling tanker?"

"Nope."

"Well, get us as close as you can."

Six said nothing, hitting the ignition button and grabbing hold of the controls. They felt right in her gloved hands. She was a pilot; the sky was her element, her comfort zone. Slowly, she took them airborne, finally leveling off just shy of 70 feet. They'd have to stay low to avoid scanners. After taking a moment to acquaint herself with the bird's controls and handling, she set course for the mountains and took off.

Six waited a few miles before saying anything. "I was serious about you getting that sleep." The comment was greeted with silence until her helmet radio crackled to life with the sound of a sudden deep intake of breath.

"How did you know I wasn't already asleep?"

"Your breathing wasn't quite right," Six replied casually. "The radio wasn't picking it up."

"Since when do you know how I breathe when I sleep?" Kat's voice sounded one part embarrassed, one part intrigued.

"Um, since you fell asleep on the way to our mission at the colony. Trust me, it was hard to miss it." Six teased.

"Well, I'll turn off my microphone then," came the defensive reply.

"Don't," Six cut in quickly. "It's," she searched for the right words. "It's comforting. To know you're there. You're okay."

Both remained quiet. Six couldn't decide whether the silence was an awkward one or not, but she had no intention of taking back what she'd said. As a lone wolf, she'd never had any lasting relationships other than those professional ones maintained with her superiors. But with Noble, she'd been thrown into a family of sorts, and needed to fight her way to acceptance in it. And, the only way to win that fight was to let herself grow attached to her teammates; friendship wasn't a one way street. It had to be given from both directions. She just hoped she wasn't wrong in believing that the street was, in fact, there.

She pondered Kat's reaction until Two's voice sounded off in her helmet, eliminating her fears and bringing about an involuntary smile.

"Six… I don't really snore. Do I?"


	4. Chapter 4

"How long until impact?"

The control panels were flashing angrily across the board. "Engines are already failing. We won't have more than a minute before descent begins, and that won't get us much more than halfway past the perimeter. We'll be coming in loud."

"Just make it count."

_Of course._ Reaching over, she flipped a chrome switch, cutting out the bird's lights. It was going to be bad enough roaring in without being a ball of blazing luminescence in the night sky. _Roaring._ "Night vision Alpha 2 activate," she whispered, tilting the controls to give her a view of the ground below. She was going to have to land soon, but if she could just…

_There!_

A wraith glowed faintly, no more than 200 yards out and five degrees to the left. _Perfect_. Reducing the falcon's forward tilt, she let it climb, pulling the throttle back until it was totally open.

"Six –" Kat let the unspoken question hang.

"You might want to get your Armor-Lock ready." The engines spluttered and cut out completely just as she finished the suggestion.

"Six…"

But Six was focusing on the job at hand. With the engines went the power steering, and guiding this bird was going to take all her strength and ability. As the plane began to plummet, so did her stomach. It was a peculiar feeling – one she loved and would never get used to. There was something about that shift in direction. The rush of a free fall was so, liberating.

The bird picked up speed at an impressive rate. Her hands left the flight gears for only a fraction of a second to release the hatch; the wind tore it completely off a moment later. It would only be seconds now. Her eyes locked onto the light blue glow of energy looming in the darkness. _Not yet… not yet… now!_

"Jump!" the pilot commanded.

"Oh shi– " Kat's voice cut out, and Six hoped it was from the activation of her own Armor-Lock just before the bird struck.

"Six? Six!" The voice echoed in her helmet above the roaring of the collision and the following explosion.

A second later, the lock gave out, and a scrambling Six climbed out of the somewhat crushed cockpit, diving clear of the wreckage just before the Wraith's power cells discharged a wave of lethal energy.

"Six!" Kat jogged to her teammate's side.

Stumbling to her feet, Six chuckled. "Man, you're starting to wear out my number."

"I wouldn't have to if you weren't so crazy. Or if you gave me a name. Come on, let's move before they realize where we are."

The two took off into the darkness, heading towards the structure. The landing had taken them just outside the outer wall, near the doors they'd used last time they were here when they'd had to leave the facility and get the Anti-Air support back online.

A few minutes later they were in the courtyard, and there was no sign of tangos.

"So, does this feel like an ambush to you too?" Six asked suspiciously.

Kat thought about it for a second. "I'm hoping the Commander and team cleared the place out."

"Hmm. An optimist," she offered with a smirk as they started down the ramp into the complex.

"Doubtful, but ther–" A plasma round flew past her shoulder, making her forget her sentence as she lifted her M6G, spinning around to face the shooter who was behind them. It was a small pack of elites of various ranks, only one of them a Zealot. "We need cover! Get down there!"

"One small problem with that," Six said, her voice accompanied by the sound of her DMR as she charged down the ramp towards another group mixed with grunts and elites. They needed to get down there and in cover before they became utterly pinned.

The second her feet hit level ground, she took a sharp left and leaving the narrow corridor. The corner ahead of her had a cement road-block pushed into it, which would provide sufficient cover for the moment. "C'mon!" Switching to her assault rifle, she laid down a thoughtless and wild cover-fire as the two members of Noble made for the corner, leaping over the barrier.

Six settled with her back to the concrete and leaned around the corner to fire off a few rounds. The first struck an elite in the chest, piercing its shield generator, and the following two struck a bit higher, heading right into its open jaws. Its compatriots saw it fall and quickly dove into cover of their own. A grunt collapsed on its way, a pistol round embedded in its skull.

"I wasn't gonna say it, but, I told you so," Six said airily.

"We've got to get to that elevator before we're completely pinned down." Kat signaled toward the alcove to their right.

"I think we could take 'em," Six countered, firing off another round and taking down another elite.

"If they don't call for reinforcements." Two pulled the pin on a frag and threw it towards the enemy. "Let's go!" She sprung out of cover and straight for the door, Six close on her tail. A moment later, they were descending into the complex's lower levels, leaving behind an angry mob of blood-thirsty Covenant.

"What are you doing?" Six watched Kat pop open a control panel on the lift.

"Trying to lock it down. We don't need them tailing us the whole way."

"Noble Two, Six?" A familiar voice crackled to life in Six's helmet.

"Acknowledged. We're riding the lift now, Jun. Give us coordinates?"

"Kat, glad you both made it. Sending coordinates now."

The lift slowed as it reached the bottom, and Six stepped off, starting down the corridor, only to realize Two was still toying with the panel. "Kat."

"There are three, three, backups! I've gotten through the first."

Suddenly the elevator started to power up again, and both of them knew it was being called back to the surface.

The humming of its motors was cut off by the sound of Six's DMR discharging. Kat jumped back, looking down to find three perfect holes in the panel as the lift ground to a screeching halt a foot from the bottom. "I suppose that's equally effective."

With a nod, they both ran, Kat taking the lead as they made their way through the labyrinth of halls.

* * *

><p>"Hmm, I suppose we should probably ride on that, eh?" Six suggested, looking at a odd, windowed compartment hanging from a railing.<p>

"It's the only way to go," Two pointed out.

The pilot shrugged. "We could always go back," she offered.

The suggestion earned her a snort. "Not after your creative method for disabling the elevator." They both stepped inside, the door sliding shut behind them.

"This reminds me of a number of horror movie scenarios," Six said, only half joking as she looked around at the car and its lack of controls.

"Lieutenant Commander, Lieutenant." Doctor Halsey's face wavered onto the flat-screen on the cable-car's wall as the contraption shuddered into motion. "Apologies for the unusual security measures, but the stakes demand it. Your timing, however, is quite perfect."

"Doctor Halsey," Kat acknowledged dryly. "Casualty reports have you listed as–"

The doctor cut her off. "Yes, well, as they say, news of my death has been greatly exaggerated. I'm appreciative of the fact that the same can be said for you, Alyss. I only wish it could be for Noble Five as well."

"We all do," Six offered, unused to the sound of her name.

"Well, it may please you to learn that the data module you procured from Visegrad Station contained precisely what my scientist promised. It has unlocked, at last, the secrets of this excavation."

"I'm not sure of what you're talking about. We're here for a poorly advised burn op."

"By now, you must have realized your orders were a pretext to bring you to me, and have been overridden. Team Noble is here to ensure the delivery of this vital data to a secure location."

"I suppose this has been confirmed with Command?" Six cut in, helmet hiding her narrowed eyes. If there was one thing ONI officials were good at, it was bending the rules, and Halsey was one of the slyest members she knew of.

"Colonel Holland has been briefed. You belong to ONI now." She paused for a moment, looking to Two as if waiting for a protest. She and Six were both surprised when none came. "Before you is an alien artifact neither human nor Covenant in origin, advanced beyond our comprehension, until now. The decrypting of its data is nearly complete. The rest of Noble is at the doors, buying time. I suggest you join them."

The screen cut out and a moment later the car drew to a halt, the metal door hissing as it slid open. Six jumped out and found herself at the edge of a frozen cave-turned-battlefield. The ceiling had been partially collapsed, presumably by a Covenant orbital attack, revealing the night sky and a number of phantoms hovering above.

"Let's go!" Both Spartan's activated their Sprint enhancements and charged down the ice-covered path towards Noble Team's position in front of a large metal door. The motion made Six's ribs burn with pain, but she did her best to ignore it.

As they neared, they found themselves separated from the team by a group of elites, and opened fire, catching the Covenant by surprise and trapping them in a deadly crossfire. A moment later the entire pack was down, and the two late-comers sprinted up the hill.

"Kat, Six. Glad you could make it to the party," Emile said amusedly as he pulled his knife out of the back of a Sangheili.

"Only fashionably late," Six quipped, striding past him to a weapons rack and trading her scuffed DMR for a new one and a pair of M6Gs.

"The download is complete. I'm opening the doors. Prepare for entry," Dr. Halsey cut in across the radio.

"Entry is secure. Proceed. Noble Team, get up here," Carter commanded roughly.

The doors hissed open, closing the moment the last of the Spartans stepped through, Carter, Jun, and Kat popping off their helmets after they passed through a second doorway.

"Commander," Six acknowledged as she let him pass her and take the lead.

Carter seemed to ignore the greeting, striding past without a glance.

"Good to see you on your feet, Noble," the sniper offered as he neared.

"It's good to be on them," she replied slowly, falling into step between him and Emile, still considering the Commander's silence.

"Are you really going to make us talk your helmet?" Jun asked, though his tone was polite.

Emile snickered. "You just want something to stare at."

Six considered the banter. "I will if you will," she said pointedly to Emile.

He shrugged and released the airlock, yanking it from his shoulders a moment later as she began to do the same. Cool air poured over her face as she pulled her helmet, tucking it under her shoulder. "How was the trip?" she asked amusedly, shaking her head so that the locks of disturbed hair would fall in place.

"Long," Emile said. "Impressed you passed the perimeter so quickly."

"We had a pilot who kept us under the radar," Kat pointed out.

"Maybe if we'd had another Spartan we would've made better time," Carter called over his shoulder. His voice was gruff, but it gave her a good idea as to what his mood was all about. She looked to Kat, whose eyes were narrowed at the Commander's back.

_She went against a direct order,_ Six thought. She'd known it had been tactically unsound to leave a Spartan behind to care for a lethally wounded soldier, and had been surprised that the Commander had permitted Kat to stay. Now, she realized that he probably hadn't permitted her too. She'd might've gone against a direct order, and considering how wrapped up in duty Carter was, he was probably a stickler for insubordination, despite his obvious bond with Two. A mixed wave of gratitude, guilt, and surprise washed over her.

No one spoke as they continued, and a number of checkpoints later, the team reached an open room. The center housed a construct unlike anything Six had ever seen. It consisted primarily of three metal claws rising from the ground, a ball of blue light filling half the room spinning slowly within its grasp. Dr. Halsey stood in front of it, working at a group of control panels.

"What is this stuff?" Emile asked in awe.

"Knowledge. A birthright from an ancient civilization. This AI" she said, motioning to a glowing female figure, hovering cross-legged over a pedestal, "is its custodian, and she has chosen you as her couriers."

The program stood, turning to face the newcomers. Six couldn't help but feel as if it was staring at her, weighing.

"Chosen? By an AI…"

"She's probably twice as smart as you," Kat teased, crossing her arms and leaning against a support beam.

The doctor released a stiff chuckle. "This AI's measure of you carries as much weight as my own, perhaps more. You are to take her to the UNSC Ship breaking yard in Aszod. There you'll find a Halcyon-class cruiser waiting to get her off planet."

"I understand," Carter said sharply.

"Do you?" The doctor's voice was wry. "Mankind is out matched. When Reach falls, and it will fall, our annihilation is all but certain." Her fingers flew over a screen, tapping buttons with intensely at an impressive speed. "Unless, we can glean from this artifact a defense against the Covenant. A game changer, on the level of the conical bullet in the 19th century, or faster than light travel in the 23rd."

"What if we can't?" Everyone turned to eye Six in surprise. Even the doctor took a moment to face the Spartan, her eyes a mix of cool amusement and respect.

"An apt question, Alyss, if there was someplace else to place our hope." She walked across the room and disengaged a data core. The AI's figure shimmered and disappeared. "There is not." Halsey turned and strode over to newest Noble, cradling the piece of equipment. "Take it, Lieutenant."

Carter stepped forward. "Six was severely injured on the way here," he cut in. "We don't know her true condition."

Halsey waved the comment away. "My biometric scanners detected the injury. A shred of her suit's self-sealing polymer was drawn inside the wound, and has sufficiently grafted itself on the the rupture in her lung tissue. She has chosen her carrier."

Six hesitantly stared at the cylinder being offered her, digesting the information. The pilot knew Halsey wouldn't be fretted with what she'd consider more "trivial inquiries" as to Six's condition, and Six doubted they truly had the time for them. She glanced over at Carter, his face grim, before retuning her gaze to the AI. Slowly, she reached out and grasped it with both hands.

"Do you have it?" The question, seemingly simple, had far more meaning. This was a task of epic import, of great honor, and burden. The doctor's eyes said as much as Six met them with her own.

"Yes."

"Say the words please."

"I have it."

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for all the alert subscriptions and reviews. Sorry for waits, but I write fic to break through my block for other projects, so it's sporadic. I've also been clinging to the Reach storyline, but planning to branch out soon.<br>_Keep up the reviews; they're my life force._**


	5. Chapter 5

_Hey faithful readers. Thanks for all the hits, reviews, and subscriptions. On the flip side, sorry for the lack of updates; life has been keeping me uber busy. I finally took the time to go through and do a quick edit of past material, though don't worry, no major changes... just a tad bit smoother and fewer errors._

_Longest chapter yet... maybe that makes up for the wait? A little bit at least?  
><em>

* * *

><p>Six watched her feet as they dangled limply. Unfocused and what seemed like miles below the shuttle dock, was a darkened valley, patches of green foliage barely visible in the thick shadows created by the canyons wall. But she paid the ground little thought, watching instead the bands of dim orange light reflecting across her charcoal grey shins.<p>

"Long drop."

She glanced over just long enough to see Carter settle down at her side, placing his helmet between them and leaning back on his palms.

"Pelican ETA?"

"Less than fifteen out."

She went back to watching the swaying of the boots below her, offering no reply.

The pair sat in silence as the light continued to grow.

Suddenly, One jolted forward, moving his elbows to his knees so that his leaning form matched hers. Unable to ignore the sharp motion, Six turned her helmeted head his way. He was looking at his gloved hands, thumbs fiddling in his lap. Unwilling to break the hush, she waited, but no words came. She had a pretty decent idea as to what this was about.

"I understood and understand the order, Sir."

Silence again.

"But do you forgive me for it?" he finally asked.

Six weighed the question for a moment. She let out an airy chuckle and returned her gaze to her feet. "For following orders and trying to make the heavy decisions? I don't think there's anything to forgive." She paused for a reaction, but received none. "I think I can appreciate the difficulty behind being responsible for a team of Spartans, Sir," she added quietly.

"Responsible," he repeated, cringing slightly. "You're one of those Spartans, Six. I'm responsible for you too. We've got to have each others' back out there. You had Kat's, but I didn't have yours, just like I... I didn't have Thom's."

Six didn't respond, mulling over his mention of her predecessor on the team. She'd been vaguely informed of the Spartan's death when she was first assigned to replace him.

"Kat remembered, though. I should've remembered too," he continued. "We've already lost one Noble Six too many. A Noble Five as well. I was afraid leaving her with you would add a Noble Two to the list."

"Sir, with all do respect, you can give it up," Six cut in. "We had and have a mission larger than any of us. I'm alive due to sheer luck. Sometimes, soldiers don't get back up. Any of us could fall in the blink of an eye. But the important thing is that the rest carry on, see it through. That's the only thing we've got left."

Carter finally nodded and took to his feet, scooping up his helmet and tucking it under an arm as his eyes stared down over the cliff. "Maybe," he offered. "But if that's all, if we can give up on our brothers and sisters that easily, is the life we lead really worth it?"

He turned and walked away, Alyss's ears tracing the receding sound of his hurried footsteps. She looked across the gorge, pondering the statement as crimson sunlight bled through the distant crags and peaks.

* * *

><p>A moment after the Pelicans entered sight, Six's musings were interrupted by the coming of her companions. Rising, she turned and joined them, glancing around the group, returning a nod received from Jun. Her eyes rolled past Emile's unreadable visor, and settled upon flickering between the uncovered faces of Kat and the doctor.<p>

"Dr. Halsey, Noble Three will escort you to Castle Base."

" I require no escort, Commander," the ONI scientist replied curtly.

Carter ignored her. "Jun, make sure nothing falls into enemy hands."

"I'll do what's necessary, sir," he replied slowly. "Good luck."

"You too, rifleman."

"Kat, Emile," Jun acknowledged. "Si- Alyss."

She gave him a small nod in response, watching as he backed away in seeming slow motion. Goodbyes were rarely offered between Spartans; there was always the unspoken assumption that there would be a return, and that it couldn't afford to be jinxed by lengthy partings. Yet, Six had the nagging feeling that she wouldn't be seeing the scout again, not any time soon. She backpedaled, finally tearing her eyes away from his form.

"I'll take it from here, Marine," Carter told the approaching pilot from their Pelican. "You're going with the other bird."

The scrawny man, jaw slightly ajar, realized he was being addressed and recovered quickly, nodding hurriedly. "Yes, sir." He dodged past the group, clearly fighting to not stare too obviously at the team of super-soldiers. A moment later, he vanished into the other Pelican. Its jets roared as their thrust increased, and soon the aircraft was floating away from the secluded landing pad.

The four remaining members of Noble made their way into their ride. Six cut in as One made for the cockpit. "Commander, I am a flight specialist."

He waved the comment away. "You're not the only one who can fly. Just keep the package safe." He slid through the opening and out of sight.

Turning back, she saw Emile sitting at the tail of the bird, legs dangling out and one hand loosely grasping a divot in the floor housing a hydraulic tire chock. Two had taken to a row of seats. Suddenly overwhelmed by a mix of nervous weariness, Six silently settled down opposite her, glancing around furtively behind the mirrored barrier of her visor.

Kat seemed relaxed, hands resting on armored thighs and head tilted backwards to rest against a steel wall. Six wondered if those hidden eyes were upon her, if beneath the cool blue armor her teammate was as uncertain as herself.

Reaching around with a gloved hand, her fingers drifted over the cylinder strapped across her lower back. It weighed no more than two pounds but felt 20 times that.

Six leaned forward and set her elbows on her knees, the scuffed steel floor filling her vision as she let her mind drift clear of all thought.

* * *

><p>"Look who's snoring now."<p>

The accent sounding in her helmet jerked Alyss from her reverie. She glanced up at Kat across the ship, a smile flitting across her features. Sitting up, she shot glance at Emile's back.

"Private channel," Two informed.

"So, this is how you guys talk behind my back. Hmm," Six teased, feigning enlightenment.

"Of course. Though, we don't really know enough to say too much on the subject," Kat replied easily.

"Well, then what do you say?" Six's gaze searched the mirrored surface hiding her teammate's face, suddenly feeling a need for an honest answer.

"Oh, just the typical gossip. Speculating as to what was under the black ink on your file, discussing why you always wear your helmet. We used to take bets on your name and why you never use it, but now that Halsey put an end to that one…" She left the sentence unfinished, half kidding, half prying.

Alyss looked away, turning her eyes to the harsh desert terrain floating off behind them. Part of her wished to proffer an earnest answer to every one of those topics, but a greater part deemed it time to cop out. "Well, that's not the flat-"

The ship jerked beneath their feet, suddenly careening as DOT's voice came blaring forth.

"Noble leader, please seek immediate medical attention. Noble leader, please respond."

Kat was on her feet and running into the cockpit before Six could even register what had just happened. Heaving herself onto her feet, Alyss grasped the netting along the ceiling for support, making her way through the unsteady bird in close pursuit.

"Please respond, Sierra 259. You are alarming me."

"Not sure how long she's gonna stay together. Skies are jammed up anyway." The commander, helmet discarded beside his chair and blood trickling from one lip, entered Six's view as she reached the door frame and clutched it for support. He turned, looking past Kat to her. "Gotta get you off her, Lieutenant."

"Sir," Kat began to interrupt, defiance thick in the word.

"You don't wanna hear it. Get the package to the Autumn," Carter ordered, looking again to Six. His eyes spoke of a nearly begging request.

Six's gaze flickered to Two. "It's done, sir," she replied, almost softly.

"Not yet it's not. Emile, Kat, go with her. It's a ground game now."

"It's been an honor, Sir," Emile said through his radio, the tones of his voice more earnest than Six could ever remember having witnessed before.

"Likewise. Six, that AI chose you. She made the right choice."

"Commander..." Kat began hoarsely.

"Kat." The pair paused for half a moment. "Get out of here."

Six watched Two's palm brush Carter's shoulder plate as the techie turned and went with her to join Emile at the back of the bird. The group stared down at the steep canyon walls below, waiting for the right moment.

"On my mark," Carter ordered. "Mark!"

Emile jumped, Kat on his heels and Six just behind her.

The soft rock ground against her metal armor as Six slammed into and slid down a sharp incline. She struggled to control her descent, but to nearly no avail, barely managing to monitor the rapid approach of the canyon floor. A moment later she was rolling across level ground, wincing with every bounce until she finally was able to regain her feet.

As soon as she was up, Kat jumped to business. "We've got a lot of ground to cover. Let's move." Her voice was tight and the reason for it was obvious. Six kept her mouth shut, falling in beside Emile as the group set off jogging down the canyon.

* * *

><p>They clung to the riverbed for the better part of four hours, moving along its incline silently except for the occasional update or bit of guidance from their still-airborne commander. He'd somehow managed to keep the bird intact, and whatever his wounds were, they seemingly weren't enough to end a determined Spartan, or to stop him from providing a little air support. Six had to admit she was a touch impressed.<p>

It was at the end of those few hours that the ground group reached the point where the ancient riverbed ducked underground. Kat, in the lead, let their pace grind down to a halt just outside.

"Commander, we've reached the caves, do you acknowledge?" Two radioed.

"Copy," Carter yelled. As his voice sounded out, Six could hear banshee fire roaring loudly in the background. "It seems we've reached the edge of an occupied region. I'm getting - " his voice cut out for a moment with the sound of a plasma rod canon firing. "I'm getting a lot of resistance. Not sure how long she'll hold together."

"Commander, don't waste yourself," Kat ordered, the edge of her voice almost hiding its concern.

No reply was received. Emile ducked into the darkened opening, reappearing a moment later and waving for the pair to follow. Letting the techie go first, Six brought up the rear.

The caves weren't as dark as she'd expected, the ancient river having worn holes in the ceiling every so often, permitting just enough light to flood in that night-vision was unnecessary. If Reach hadn't been invaded, if their Commander hadn't been flying around sponging up enemy fire outside, and if she hadn't been carrying the one bit of information that could save humanity, Six might have taken the time to consider her surroundings almost beautiful.

They trekked on, primarily upward, rushing through the enclosed space with no resistance. Still attempting to reestablish contact, the trio took turns radioing in for Carter on different frequencies every hour, despite the slim chance of the Covenant intercepting the transmissions and honing in on their location.

Not long after Kat announced they were nearing the surface and a UNSC outpost, Six felt the hair on the back of her neck rise. Something wasn't right here, and she'd been in enough bad situations to know better than to dismiss her gut feelings. Eyes darting and left hand reaching over her back, she pulled her DMR out of its field holster as Emile neared a corner up ahead.

"Guys, I think-" She cut herself short as her external microphones echoed her transmission. Both of her teammates dropped dead in their tracks, picking up the same sound. Someone, nearby, was picking up their radio transmissions.

Signaling for radio silence, Kat edged past Emile and towards the corner, Six on her heels. Six watched as Two leaned out, scanning what was ahead. To her amazement, rather than opening fire, Two suddenly activated her sprint enhancement and leapt out of sight. "Commander!"

"Commander?" Emile repeated questioningly, breezing past Six to follow.

Unable to shake her feeling, Six kept her DMR cradled in her hands before slowly stepping after them.

As she turned the corner, a cavern came into view, a large hole in the ceiling permitting light to filter down and illuminate the sandstone walls. It was against one of these walls, perhaps fifteen yards ahead of her, that Carter sat slumped, helmet tipped over beside him. Kat knelt in front of him, checking for a pulse, with Emile standing right beside her.

That explained who was broadcasting their transmissions, but nothing explained what Noble Leader was doing splayed out in the caves. Not quite entering the room, Six's gaze swept the area.

Kat removed her helmet and said something, and Emile moved towards the far opening, but Alyss hardly noticed. She had to find whatever it was that was setting off her senses.

She caught it, but just barely.

Just as Emile reached the doorway, a hulking, watery shape suddenly appeared beside him.

"Emile, left!" Six yelled frantically, firing off a round to illuminate the cloaked figure. The body of an Elite suddenly became outlined in a golden grid of energy and Emile's shotgun roared, but she wasn't paying attention to it anymore. Hitting her sprint enhancement, she let the DMR fall from her hands, pulling her knife from its sheathe on her chest plate. Two yards from Kat's still kneeling form, she leapt, empty hand leading and knife drawn back to strike.

Just as she'd thought, her leading hand struck against cold metal, another Elite appearing as she plowed through it. They fell, Alyss sending her knife's blade into the gap below its helmet before it could get its guard up. Feeling it go limp as they struck the ground, she released the hilt, rolling to her feet and pulling a magnum from her right thigh holster. She regained her bearings.

Kat was already up and firing, with Emile spraying the cave with shotgun bb's, illuminating three more looming forms. The three Spartans made short work of the cloakers, Two finishing the last with a double tap to the head.

Wordlessly, Six bent over and yanked her knife from the dead Elite's neck, wiping off as much of the blue liquid clinging to its blade as she could on the alien's few uncovered patches of skin. When she looked up, both Nobles were facing her. She froze awkwardly for a moment before looking to Kat.

"How is he?"

The question cracked the momentary freeze, and the techie snapped into motion. She scooped up her helmet and reequipped it before returning to Carter's side. "He's got a weak pulse," she answered, checking him over. "The right side of his chest is riddled with the equivalent of armor-piercing rounds and shrapnel. Medical systems are drained, but there's little to no bleeding left. Not that it would matter, since we have practically nothing to treat him with either way."

Emile cut in. "We need to move; we're sitting ducks and they know exactly where to find us." He looked at the commander, limp on the floor. "We can't afford dead weight."

Six nodded, shooting the briefest of glances at the darkening sky through the gaping hole in the ceiling. The setup was starkly familiar. She looked down at Kat, but her stance was unreadable. "He's not dead yet." Six herself didn't want to simply leave One, and she bet that Kat felt that tenfold. "And I don't want to leave him here for the Covies."

"What? Do you want us to drag him all the way to Aszod? He won't survive that, and neither will we with him slowing us down!" Emile argued bitterly. "I don't want to leave the guy, but let's look at the big picture here."

Six held up a hand. "I'm not saying take him to the shipyard. Just get him someplace a bit safer than this, so that…" she let the sentence hang, looking at Kat, not wanting to fill it in with the none-too-happy, realistic what-ifs.

Emile shrugged. "Alright. Well then, where do you-"

Kat stood. "The outpost. It's in another cave system not far from here, and we should check it out either way."

Nodding, Alyss picked up her DMR, slinging it onto her back and moving to grab Carter. Emile cut her off.

"I'm stronger than either of you. I'll take him."

Pride telling her to argue, Six's sense barely won out, and she backed down, watching as Emile holstered his shotgun and slung the down Noble over his shoulders.

"Six, take point. I'll take the rear," the lieutenant commander ordered. "I'll feed you directions. And keep it quiet. I don't want to wake up every damn alien along the way."

Within minutes they were moving again, Six was absorbed in scouting the path and keeping her teammates safe. Even with their new, several-hundred-pound burden, she knew that every step for every one of them felt a hell of a lot lighter.

* * *

><p><em>Whew, not sure how I feel about the chapter, but hey, let's go with it.<em>

_Review responses! (felt like I should do this...)  
><em>

_GONEinAFlash - Thanks for the, uh, encouragement ;D._

_APple Pie; Wolf; RamenKnight; Gundrium - Thanks for the different sort of encouragement! :)_

_Cozman10- Thanks for the steady supply of input. I know I'm not much of one for responses to review (I'm starting to kick myself in the ass for that), but I really appreciate your insight._

_ TkeleChoG- Thanks! I'm not sure... very much considering extending it past the campaign..._

_KrimzonGuard Bites BaronP- Heh, thanks. I know, right?_

_fallenaway- Pssht, thanks for leaving double reviews, dork :P_


	6. Chapter 6

_I intended to update forever ago, but was writing on here, only to have my computer crash and lose a chapter... talk about disheartening. But don't worry, I'm now back for a bit :D._

_ I was pondering ways to further connections to the characters, and decided that I perhaps needed to expand the storyline a bit more and add this chapter. I bumped the original chapter 6 forward one, so 7 isn't actually new.  
><em>

_I'm branching out to cling to characters besides Six (labeling each bit with whose POV it is). I'm finally thinking about an overarching storyline, instead of just going with the flow, which was what I'd been doing thus far. I've decided it might be cruel to go back too far to rearrange everything, considering the number of views I've gotten thus far... and I'm admittedly lazy. So, hopefully this change will be beneficial. Leave me some feedback with what you think!_

_Well, anywho, now that my self-conscious author's note thinger is done..._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Backtracks just slightly, to the point when the three Spartans fled the Pelican.<strong>  
><em>

* * *

><p><em><strong>Carter<br>**_

* * *

><p>"On my mark," Carter ordered. "Mark!"<p>

"Noble Leader, your vitals are weak. You require medical attention," Auntie DOT's mechanical voice persisted, now through the Pelican's console.

"Concern acknowledged, DOT. Will do, as soon as it is conveniently available," Carter replied, hoping it would be enough to make the AI quiet down. "Abandon Noble radio frequencies for mine. I'll relay all relevant information to Ground Team."

"Acknowledged."

"Good. Get me a direct link to any UNSC satellite imagery, from present location to Aszod."

There was a pause. "No data stream available. Covenant forces have either jammed or destroyed visual satellites in the area."

"Last moment of confirmed contact?"

"Nearly five hours ago."

Carter nodded sharply, eyes focused on the sky. A group of banshees could be spotted of to the far right. He pushed forward on the controls, letting the bird drift a little closer to the ground in hopes of remaining unnoticed. "Get me the final image, with enemy occupation, and another with movement projections."

A moment later two blue-tinted holographic maps appeared on the right side of the Pelican's windshield, riddled with red dots and arrows. "Highlight current locations of all Noble members in area, as well as Aszod's ship yard." Four green dots blossomed on the projection, as well as a yellow destination marker.

He inspected the final product, the results not what he'd hoped for. The specks of denoting his team were surrounded by an uncountable amount of burning-red pixels.

_I've been in worse,_ he reminded himself. Part of his mind drifted back to previous missions, both Noble and not. The fighting at New Constantinople, the cruiser at Fumirole, the quelling of the insurrection on Mamore… That one made him wince. He never questioned his commands; he was a cog, a piece of a greater machine that strove for the benefit of all mankind. Yet, that machine had run over a good deal of its own pieces that day he'd been dropped into the fray. The taste was always bitter when the thought of it came to him.

But none of it mattered anymore. The memories were pushed aside as he tore his focus back to the task at hand. "Dot, where do our munitions stand?"

There was a pause as the AI integrated itself with the plane's battle systems. "The left and right launchers are at two and one rockets respectively. Turret stores at 50%. Left wing turret is shorting, but functional."

_No open confrontation,_ he mentally noted. Not that he'd been planning on it in the first place.

By clinging to the ground and putting DOT in charge of external sensors, Noble Leader managed to evade what few covenant forces were to be found this far away from human civilization. The flight was more or less uneventful for several hours, mostly involving drawing the attention of ground patrols long enough for the ground team to sneak by, and then disappearing before the aliens could call in anti-air support.

It was as they reached the four hour mark, as Carter pulled the bird up to avoid a messy rock formation, that plasma rounds began to rain down on the bird's left flank.

"Dot! Display rear visuals."

The map displays were immediately replaced with camera feeds of the Pelican's six. Three banshees were closing in on his aircraft. Only was was in firing range, but it wouldn't be long before the other two caught up.

_Advantage. Need an advantage._ He scanned his surroundings and found nothing except for a ridge at an estimated 3 klicks away.

"Commander, we've reached the caves, do you acknowledge?" Two radioed in, nearly.

"Copy," Carter yelled. As his voice sounded out, Six could hear banshee fire roaring loudly in the background. "It seems we've reached the edge of an occupied region. I'm getting He winced as a fuel canon pulse slammed into the birds left tail jet. Red started flashing across the control board, and keeping the Pelican under control was becoming difficult. "I'm getting a lot of resistance. Not sure how long she'll hold together."

"Commander, don't waste yourse-," Two's voice flooded through the speakers but cutout before she could finish, another plasma round striking home. Yet, Carter had a pretty good idea of her intention. They'd had each others' backs for years and charged into suicidal odds without hope of coming out alive more than once. Her voice had sounded firm, but he heard the tension, the fear.

"Kat. Do you read?" Nothing. "Dot, radio status update, now." Nothing. He tore his eyes from the windshield. The communications display was blinking a furious red. Groaning, he reached down with a gloved hand, scooping up his abandoned helmet. It was still coated with blood and visor cracked to pieces, but he wiped off what he could and slid it back on.

"Dot, communications status," he repeated, squinting his eyes as he struggled to see through the fractured polymer now covering his face.

"Systems are shorting. Repair or bypass are not plausible."

"Lock on to the closest two bogies. Fire on my mark." Carter's eyes flitted from camera feeds and the ground in front of him, struggling to weave away from the incoming fire all the while.

_Wait... wait for it,_ he told himself as he eyed the aircrafts tailing him. _Now!_ He slammed the controls into reverse, the rocket-propulsion cells of his pelican flipping directions and bringing his bird into a whiplash-inducing slow-down.

The two closest of the three Banshees flew past him, unprepared for the sudden deceleration. "Mark!"

Twin rockets jetted forward into sight, leaving short trails of white smoke as the pursued their targets.

The port-side rocket struck home seconds later, sending bits of glossy, purple metal flying from an explosion of cobalt plasma and orange flames. The other banshee, however, was not so simple. The Elite inside began flipping the banshee, climbing skyward in looping spirals. Every time the rocket neared, its target dodged with a sharp turn.

Carter knew the rocket would run out of juice soon enough, without hitting taking down the target, if he didn't do something. "Fire final rocket on target, now."

Dot complied wordlessly, another missile jumping into the atmosphere in pursuit of the banshee. The pilot didn't see it coming, and a moment later, was falling from the sky in a storm of mangled metal.

The moment of relief that washed over the commander was short lived as plasma fire resumed striking his bird's rear flanks. Grimacing, he pushed the throttle fully open, the cumbersome pelican accelerating as quickly as its dying systems would allow. He noticed that the ridge was less than a klick out now, and formulated a the best plan he could. As soon as he passed it, he would drop and brake hard. Hopefully, the banshee would fly past, putting it in his turrets' sights.

However, as he finally crested the hill, preparing to descend and slow, what entered his field of vision made his stomach plummet.

The behemoth of Covenant ground forces, with its large, glowing "head," stared straight at him. _A Scarab- and so my streak of luck comes to an end. "_Dot, how did you _not_ detect this?" He took a hard right as a stream of energy, plasma or laser, whatever it was he wasn't certain, the shot narrowly missing the pelican's left wing.

"My programming is unfamiliar with much of Covenant technology. It is most likely they deflected my sensors."

Noble One's eyes frantically scanned their surroundings as the beast of a machine below recharged its canon. They were in what appeared to be a widened area of a canyon, probably an old lake bed, forming an enclosed arena of sorts, though not one deep enough to imprison the Scarab. The dark mouths of several tunnels caught his attention. "Will the ground team go through this area?" he asked into his helmet mic.

"Evaluation of maps and projections: It is likely Noble Ground will pass this geographical structure. However, due to the Scarab's immense mass, it is prone to collapse tunnels near the surface if it continues along its path."

Carter's mind flew as he fought to formulate a plan of action. _Fly away... can't. Package needs to reach Aszod. No rockets - turrets, useless - banshee chasing me. Nothing useful, nothing, nothing..._ Nagging him in the back of his mind, he already new there was only one train of action to be taken, but still he searched fervently for an alternative.

It was easy for one to think that he or she would be ready to go at any moment, that dying was just another part of living. But now, as he was staring into the jaws of death, it struck him how incredibly different it felt. Civilians he'd shoved into evac birds with their families... he'd never gotten to experience life with a wife, kids, and an actual home. The Spartan program tried to take everything from you - peace, your future, your body, your humanity - and then to replace them with an assault rifle and mindless discipline. It took a maladjusted kid and created a machine.

It was as doubt ate away at the base of his resolve that a the foggy shape of a Covenant cruiser caught his eye. It hovered just above the horizon, its dark armor dulled and blending with the hazy sky. It looked like a phantom, an ironic vision of the future. It looked like the ship Jorge had landed on a few hours ago, that Thom had flown to what seemed like yesterday. Had Five had doubts as he bypassed the reactor's timer, splicing the two wires that would doubtlessly result in his death, or the previous Six, as he fought waves of Covenant to keep them from reaching that nuke which would bring them all crashing to Fumirole's surface?

_They must've,_ Carter realized. _But they did it anyways._

He glanced at the Scarab, which he'd circled once. It's head followed him, the cooling vents closing as it prepared for another shot. _It's now or never. _He heaved back on the controls, sending his Pelican into a nearly vertical climb. He pulled away his right hand for a moment, slamming his gloved fingers against the buttons on his breastplate's comm panel. "Noble Team... Emil, Si- Alyss... Kat. If you can read any of this. Well..." He searched for something to say as he cut angled the bird's nose downward. "Get to that damn shipyard. And give 'em hell." The unofficial Marine motto felt right as it left his lips.

His fingers moved from panel to the armor-lock manual-activate, prying up a panel to uncover the switch. _I hope my helmet's systems will still integrate. _Hand poised, his eyes clung hard to his target. _  
><em>

The Covenant machine bucked, its operators surely unraveling the truth of his intentions. But there was no way it could move aside in time. Its head rose, and the still unready canon fired, but pointlessly.

Steel collided with foreign metal, and the fragile, the beaten, tore through the surface of that which seemed impregnable, bringing it to its knees as the lone man inside activated his lone hope of survival.

* * *

><p>The ground was sliding beneath him. <em>No, I'm being drug...<em> Carter's eyes fluttered open, and he found himself looking out the mouth of a tunnel with a vista of twisted metal and various machine bits. _The Scarab._ Certain piles of refuse still glowed, emitting blue waves of plasma. The sight was encouraging, until it disappeared as he was pulled by the back of his armor further underground.

_Am I... _Pain shot through his body as his lower back struck a jagged piece of stone. _Yep, _he thought painfully. _I'm definitely alive.  
><em>

But as to how, he wasn't entirely certain. The last thing he remembered was being blown halfway across the canyon when the Scarab's energy core's field was breached, the reaction inside exploding as its stability was lost.

The thoughts of luckiness left him though, when a figure stepped into sight through the same entrance he'd just passed. An elite covered in silvery-white armor ducked it's head to enter the tunnel. _Damn._ Trying to seem unconscious, he let his helmeted head slump to the side, giving him a good look at the ankles of whoever was pulling him. They were purple and had odd, reversed joints. Even in his delirious, pain-ridden state of conscious, what it belonged to was obvious.

_Must... save... Kat. And Emile. And Jun, And Six._ _Can't let them get Jorge either. Or Thom...where is he? Wasn't he just here? _Not entirely certain of his movements, he jerked a hand up to his knife's handle and pulled the weapon from it's sheath. The Elite walking at the tail end of the group yelled something unintelligible, but Carter's hand was already descending. The blade pierced through one side of the ankle he'd be watching, the glittering tip reappearing on the opposite side, now covered in cobalt blood.

A roar echoed through the tunnels, and the commander slumped to the ground as his back was released._ Must get up. _He tried to move, but only his arms agreed to cooperate.

Suddenly, his helmet was yanked from his shoulders. He laid flat, face to face with an Elite crouching over him. Automatically his fist flew upward, catching the alien on its jaw. The punch was far weaker than he'd intended, but it still had some force. The aliens head snapped to the side. It froze, and Carter watched it warily. After a moment, it rose, and looked down at the Spartan from it's towering full height. The commander met its narrowed eyes head on, not looking away as it lifted its foot. In one swift motion, a dusty heel slammed into Carter's temple.

Everything went black.


	7. Chapter 7

_I backtracked a bit, and put in a different chapter Six. So, Chapter Six is the actual update. Explanations are there.  
><em>

* * *

><p>The trek wasn't as terrible as it could've been. A decimated Jackal patrol, two barely avoided drone nests, and a few sleeping grunts later, the sun had set and they were within a hundred yards of the entrance to the site. To be honest, Six could never quite figure out how grunts managed to fall asleep in large groups in the middle of a battlefield, but hey, there would be no complaining on her part.<p>

"There should be a tunnel branching off to your right."

The turn was easy to find with her night vision. Six started down it. "Why is there a post out here?" she asked curiously as she moved.

"Mineral and ore testing. UNSC scientists were looking for deposits in the area."

"How," Emile grunted under his burden, "do you know these things?"

Six waited, wondering the same thing, but the answer didn't come. "Well," she said, "I don't think they'll becoming back anytime soon." Slowly, she strode into an open room.

The outpost wasn't much, but it was enough- a large cavern with two portable buildings, one on each side. A few piles of sealed crates and equipment littered the open floor. It appeared untouched by the Covenant, which wasn't too difficult to believe; with no clues of inhabitance from the outside, it must've appeared as nothing more than a minor offshoot in the tunnel system.

Emile lurched forward and let the Commander slide from his shoulders, propping him against one such pile of boxes with an audible sigh of relief. Kat knelt, checking his pulse. "No change." She glanced around. "Two hours here, max. Eyes out for their radio."

Wordlessly, the three separated and began to scour the campsite for anything useful. Most of it was excavation tools and scientific apparatuses, but there were some emergency rations, basic first-aid materials, and a small supply of ammunition. The last bit was lucky, as the few covenant run-ins they'd had had already taken a toll on the little ammo they'd started with.

However, the best find was a pair of Mongooses tucked away under a tarp in the far corner. Six and Emile pushed them into the outpost's center while Kat set to work on Carter. Shooting the later pair a glance, Six watched Two fumble the flashlight she was using, lacking enough hands to hold it and see to the downed man.

Unlocking her Aerial-Assault helmet, Six pulled it off and tucked it under an arm. "You can handle this?" she quietly asked Emile, gaze still on the makeshift doctor.

He followed her eyes and nodded.

Alyss walked over to the lieutenant commander, stopping silently at her side. Kat had already removed the commander's mangled chest plate and was picking out bits of shrapnel from the wound. Weighing the situation for a moment, Six set her crimson and grey helmet on the ground next to Kat's pale blue one before kneeling down.

"Hold this," Kat ordered, handing over a small flashlight accompanied with a split second glance. Six took it wordlessly, shining the light down at the commander's mangled chest.

"How is he?"

Kat didn't answer right away, digging into a marred piece of flesh with a pair of tweezers. A moment later, she took out a shard of Pelican-colored steel and added it to a small pile. "There's a lot in him, some of it too deeply lodged for me to get out." She lathered a bit of disinfectant onto the wound before going after the next piece.

Six watched her work. "I'm just happy we came across him," she admitted softly. She cringed at the quietness of her voice, but there was a pressure-bound silence in the room, and she didn't wish to break it.

Two nodded, picking up a small tube of bio-foam and filling in some of the gaping wounds. They worked in a silence which Six couldn't quite discern as awkward or not, the pilot managing the flashlight and occasionally steadying the limp man, Kat medicating and bandaging. When the wound was treated, Six supported Carter's back, holding his torso away from the crates so that Kat could wrap on gauze. Finally, they clamped on what was left of his chest armor as gently as they could.

Standing back, Six inspected their work. "What now?"

Kat moved to stand next to her. "I'm no doctor, and he needs one. How long he'll last like this…" She released a sigh. "I've no clue."

Her teammate's face was filled with blatant concern, its eyebrows furrowed and mouth drawn tight. Hesitantly, Six set a hand on the techie's far shoulder, hoping the contact would be comforting. The facial expression remained unchanged, but Six could feel her body lose a touch of its rigidity under her arm. "Then we'd best get him to one."

Two didn't respond immediately. "I'm not much of one for thank-yous, Six, especially not two to the same person in the same week. But you had my back again back there."

"Isn't that what teammates do?" Six offered cheerily.

Kat suddenly looked away from Carter, locking onto the lieutenant's gaze. "The Commander wouldn't be here if you hadn't stood for it."

It was a fight for Six not to forget herself in the exchange, despite the low lighting. In the back of her mind she mused over whether it might be because of the low lighting.

Realizing Emile must be almost finished as well, she stepped away awkwardly, picking up both of their helmets and returning the blue one, but unwilling to meet its owner's gaze until her own eyes were hidden under her helmet's visor. "Our two hours are running short," she stated quietly.

Kat gave her one last, unreadable look before nodding, taking her helmet and stalking away.

* * *

><p>"Pillar of Autumn, do you read?" Kat articulated loudly. Six watched her fiddle with the buttons on the radio's console, playing with the frequency. "Pillar of Autumn, this is Spartan B320, respond."<p>

Heralded by a burst of static, the speakers crackled to life. "B320, this is Pillar of Autumn. Hold for Captain Keyes."

"Copy, waiting." She stood stock still, waiting. Six fought the urge to fidget.

"Spartan," rumbled the speaker after a moment. "This is Captain Keyes of the Pillar of Autumn. What's your status, over?"

"About to leave UNSC SE Post 449, Sir. We have an injured Spartan."

"And the package?"

Kat shot Six a glance. "In good hands, Sir. Expect arrival at 08:00 hours. Have a surgeon prepped and a Pelican waiting," she ordered.

"I'm not sure if that's doable, Noble Leader." Six watched Kat cringe at the misplaced title. "Aszod's Anti-Air is down, and the atmosphere is swimming with Covenant aircrafts. You'll have to get the guns back online before a bird even has a chance of making it down there."

"Why can't it ever be easy?" Emile asked wryly.

A half-smile sprouted on Six's lips.

Kat shook her head in agreement. "Acknowledged. Have a bird on stand-by. Noble Team out."

* * *

><p>"Just because I can fly a bird like a pro doesn't mean I can drive a Mongoose like one," Six said defensively.<p>

Kat and Emile snickered and simultaneously across their radios. Six's face felt warm, but she couldn't help but grin herself.

It hadn't taken them long to realize that Six's Mongoose handling was barely par as she'd tried to drive the bike laden with the commander out of the tunnels. She had no trouble shifting the thing, but it seemed far too tipsy to be military issue, the awkward terrain making it behave erratically. Or so Six had claimed only half-jokingly when Kat had ordered Emile to take her place in the driver's seat.

Though, the pilot had evacuated the seat all too willingly, clambering up behind Kat with her DMR in hand; shooting things was a tenfold easier than navigating, and having the techie on the same bike was by far more desirable than the still-unconscious commander.

"I guess you're not perfect after all," Kat teased.

Six grumbled. "What's that saying? 'You like someone for their strong-suits but love them for their flaws?'" she quoted, sure she was butchering it but not entirely caring.

"Yes," Kat chuckled, "not being able to drive an ATV is quite endearing."

That brought another snicker from Emile, but Six was too busy pondering whether she'd imagined the undertone of earnestness in the jib to really notice.

The troupe fell into an easy silence, and it was something of a struggle for the pilot to not turn inward upon herself. Fighting, she took measure of her surroundings.

The moonlight glinting off of Two's armor was a garish bright green in Six's helmet's night vision. She watched the Spartan manipulate the handlebars, guiding them forward at a borderline suicidal speed. The path had been more or less clear, but the whirring and thundering of the footsteps and canon fire of a roaming Scarab could be heard in the distance. Whatever happened, she thought, she'd rather not stumble upon one of those.

Whatever happened, she just hoped they'd all get off this blasted planet alive.

* * *

><p>The eastern sky was beginning to glow orange as Six gratefully slid out of her seat. Riding for six hours-plus, perched on the back of a Mongoose, was no comfortable feat, and her sore muscles made her doubly sure of it as she stretched out. She watched for a moment as Kat mirrored her movement before making her way to the Commander.<p>

He'd briefly entered consciousness a few hours back, just long enough to be check on the team's status and inform them that his chest burned like he'd "found his middle-school sweetheart making-out with his best friend behind the bleachers all over again." Needless to say, Six was pretty certain he'd still been pretty out of it.

Alyss carefully removed Carter's helmet, immediately taking notice of the hint of a grimace on his face.

Two joined her, checking his pulse. "Better, but not much," she commented.

"Do you still have that morphine?" Six asked.

With a nod, Kat reached into her thigh's tactical hard-case, pulling out a syringe. She inserted the needle into a tear in his arm's under armor, pushing out a cc or two before storing it away again, this time in Carter's belt pouch. "I don't think he could handle anymore."

Six didn't answer, satisfied by the slight but not totally slackening in his features. She replaced the helmet, glancing over at Emile who was watching them silently.

Seeing her look his way, he cleared his throat. "What's the game plan?"

Kat made her way to an open patch of sand and took a knee, Emile and Six moving to stand over her. Six watched as she began drawing placing X's in the dirt with a gloved finger, periodically consulting her wrist's data pad. Emile pulled out his knife and offered it.

Kat waved it back into its sheath, voice touched with amusement. "You won't have time to hone it if I ruin the edge now." She finished placing three marks on the ground. "We'll approach from the east. This," she explained, pointing to the northern-most "X," "is the gun. Its remote controls must be offline or jammed, or the Autumn would be firing it right now and we wouldn't be int this mess. Someone will have to start it up manually."

She shifted focus, pointing to another mark, slightly lower and to the far west. "The remote controls."

"Why did they need a remote control site?" Emile asked.

"The gun relies on some experimental nuclear technology. It's a safety precaution. I'll get here, get them online, and uplink DOT to the mainframe." She moved to the final marking, this one south of the canon. "And this is the landing zone, presumably where the bird will meet us."

Six considered the gap between this location and that of the remote controls. "How far is it from the evac site to your remote console?" she asked.

Kat sighed. "A little over a klick. Not as close as I'd like, but beggars can't be choosers."

Emile looked at the crude drawing. "We can bet it'll be flooded with Covenant," he mused.

Looking at her data pad, the lieutenant commander shrugged. "When isn't it? The base was hit early, yet those canons haven't been turned on our own ships. I doubt they left an overly large force. But reports say there are enough drop-ships in the area that as soon as that canon is back online, we'll be swimming knee deep in tangos."

He nodded. "I'll take the commander to the gun's site, stash him away, and fire it up. Hopefully I won't die from radiation burns," he added wryly.

Two agreed. "Six, you're with me. As soon as I've established the connection, we're on ground control. We'll go in first, guns blazing to get any attention in the area. Emile, give us five minutes before you follow. Stay north and make your way up to the upper levels. You'll find both a lift and a ladder to the gun. Get to evac as soon as DOT takes over the firing sequence. I'll upload the coordinates to your helmet displays, both of you."

"Understood," both Nobles replied simultaneously.

"Good." Kat stood up. "Six, let's move. It's about time we got the hell off this planet."


	8. Chapter 8

_More thank-you's for all the encouragement and such in your reviews! Some great ideas. Please, keep leaving your thoughts and advice! Every bit fuels progress!_

* * *

><p>As they sailed out of the canyon and onto pavement, Six's eyes immediately began roving the area. "Nothing?" she asked, verily amazed by the utter lack of resistance. She took it back a moment later when a green plasma round struck her shields. Following its trajectory, she found herself looking at a pair of Grunts.<p>

"Almost nothing?" she corrected, hugging her perch with her knees and cradling the DMR in both hands. Three seconds and two head-shots later, it was back to nothing.

Kat drove like she owned the compound, her turns confident and speed never faltering as small groups of Covenant began to sprout up.

It seemed their decoy strategy was working well, Six noted, watching as a hoard of pursuit-engaged aliens began to gather behind them. Almost _too _well. A few were beginning to appear in front of them as well. Not wasting a precious bullet, Six measured each target carefully, trying to keep the path clear and stop any charged plasma round from hitting the bike, deciding she would rather not have the Mongoose short-out.

They breezed through the docking zone and, a moment later, were on a more or less straight shot. Six felt the bike slow and then heard its throttle open as Kat shifted it up a gear. The numbers displaying the distance to their objective rolled away in her HUD as they grew closer and closer. At one klick, pavement suddenly became gravel and then beaten dirt beneath their wheels, and those on foot who still gave chase were left in a literal cloud of dust.

As they pulled away from the complex, Alyss began to wonder if the maps had been wrong. Opening her mouth to voice the fear, she immediately shut it as they crested a small hill at half a klick, revealing a small building topped with a satellite array nested in a shallow gully. They flew down the barren slope, completely unimpeded.

The pinging of gravel striking the building's sheet-metal walls could be heard as Kat turned hard, sending the bike into a sliding stop, though both Spartans bailed without seeing the halt all the way through. Six reached the door first, a flying boot heel breaking it open without wasting a second. Rifle raised, she charged through, leaping over a lone Marine's corpse. No tangos. "Clear!" She scanned the room, noting a small ladder to a roof hatch in the far right corner, a few crates before it, and a console with two chairs to her left.

Two was already on her heels, pistol flying back into its holster as she moved to the control console. Her fingers flew over the switches and buttons which seemed all but indecipherable to Six. The pilot didn't ponder it, sprinting back out the door.

The fastest Elites couldn't be more than a minute from cresting that hill. Jumping onto the still-running ATV, she spun it around, parking it behind the shed-like complex. It would be the easiest to mount from the cover of the building when the job was over. Plus, the disappearance of the bike might give their pursuit a pause, possibly buying the pair seconds of valuable time.

Flying back up the windowless building's three concrete steps, she took up a position just inside the door, crouching to peek out.

As she did, a crimson-armored elite slid entered her field of view, sliding to a halt at the top of the hill where'd they'd been but a minute ago. Slowly, she raised the barrel of her rifle, staring down it at the alien's shield generator as it turned away to presumably acknowledge the next arrival. Her finger sat poised over the trigger, not wanting to give away their position until there was no longer any time to gain from remaining hidden.

Two more joined the one on the ridge, an infantry class in dark blue and another Sangheli in flaming orange. The trio consorted for a moment.

The lack of jackals and their hybrid cousins was surprising; the possibility of being pinned down by the fire of a few carbine needle or laser rifles was a big risk to her position. The absence of them both relieved and rattled her all at once: an enemy she couldn't already see was just one more variable she'd have to watch out for on the battlefield.

The orange Sangheili started down the hill at an inhuman pace, and Six knew the other two were about to follow.

It was time.

Before her target could turn to face her, Six pulled the trigger twice. The first round found its mark in the alien's shield generator, the second burying itself in its skull a half-breath later. The distant figure crumpled to the ground, rolling a few feet down the slope before coming to a halt.

It took two shots to the face to break through the blue's shields, and the next took it to the ground, body still flying forward from its sprint's carried-over inertia.

By the time she could pin it in her scope, the orange Elite had already covered over two-thirds of the ground from the ridge to Six's location. It wasn't as tactically stupid as the infantry class. As soon as her first round struck home, it began ducking and weaving, making headshots a tenfold more difficult. She settled for the torso, refusing to let a single shot go wide. It fell less than twenty yards out as her clip clicked empty.

As she ducked inside to reload, a bubblegum-pink needle embedded itself in the door frame where her head had just been. She glanced at it for only a split-second. The same thought that always came to her at the sight of the bright Covenant ammo flitted through her mind as the single round exploded: how could something so totally not fear-inspiring in color be so damn deadly?

* * *

><p><strong>Emile<strong>

* * *

><p>Emile clung to the ridge beneath his chest, watching as the mongoose laden with his teammates sped from down the hill and into the shipyards. Covenant slowly began to wake up, but Six was dispatching with such efficiency that he couldn't help but smile. "Save some fun for me," he mumbled to himself. The Spartan watched for a moment longer before sliding backwards down the rocks. As his boots hit the ground, he turned and made his over to his own ATV. The commander was slumped over the back seat, anchored by a few bungee cords. Emile reached out with a gloved hand and rocked him a bit. The cords held, but Noble Four immediately regretted the test when he heard Carter's painful groan across the radio.<p>

"Sorry sir," he apologized softly as he swung a leg over the bike, settling onto the thinly padded seat. "We'll have you on an examination table, just as soon as we clean up on these Covie scumbags." _Covie scumbags? _he repeated mentally as his thumb hit the ignition. The words sounded wrong. They ought to have been coming from Five. Emile pushed the thoughts of the big guy away. They were too raw. The only thing he could do now was make the aliens pay, and to do that, he'd need a clear head.

A moment later, he guided the vehicle down the slope and through the unofficial and now-empty entrance to the complex.

Four kept to the right as he made his way between abandoned buildings, following the markers Kat and loaded to his HUD. It was an mostly uneventful drive. It wasn't until his helmet display read 50 meters that another living creature came into sight. Turning onto a straight-shot that would, according to the maps, lead straight to the lift and ladder, he spotted a pair of elites with their backs turned, no more than ten meters from his destination. He could see the railing of the ground lift just ahead of them. _Finally, a little excitement._ He shifted into a higher gear and pulled his shotgun from his back. His right hand held the throttle wide as the left nestled his weapon of choice against his shoulder, fingers popping the safety to "fire" before moving to cradle the trigger.

It wasn't until he 15 meters away that they took note of their oncoming demise. The alien to the right glanced over its shoulder, spinning around as it caught sight of the UNSC vehicle flying towards it. But it was too late. Before it could even raise it's plasma rifle, the mongoose was barreling through it's heavy frame. Its spine snapped on contact, but the sound was lost in the rev of the engine and the roar of a shotgun round firing into its companion's skull.

Before the second corpse even hit the pavement, Emile was breaking hard, cranking the handlebars to send the bike into a sliding stop. It finally settled parallel to the wall, perfectly centered on the lift.

_"_Only a Spartan..." he said confidently as he hit the kill switch and slid from the bike. Glancing over at the lift's controls, Emile decided they'd be a problem, and not one that could be solved with his shotgun. _Why do they need that complex of a panel for a thing that only moves up and down,_ he asked himself as he headed to the ladder. The lift was somewhat obscured by crates on either side, and if Covenant stormed his position, they'd be going for himself, the gunner, not an unconscious man strapped to a bike.

Four made short work of the climb, quickly pulling himself to his feet as he reached the top. His end objective was insight. Jogging, he made his way to the anti-air canon and slid into the operator's seat. He scoured the controls and began following the instructions Kat had helped him memorize, closing circuits and priming barrels. "Lets see what this baby can do."

* * *

><p><strong>Six<strong>

* * *

><p>"How are we coming back there?" Six asked, mentally tracing the needle's trajectory. Taking a deep breath, she leaned back out and fired. The first round struck the jackal in the thigh, staggering it so that a second could find its head. Six ducked back in before its companions could do her shields much harm.<p>

"Not well. Whoever wired this heap of junk did a piss-poor job. The-"

A distant blast stole half of Six's attention from Two's spewing of oddly endearing yet way-over-Six's-head technical terms, until she glanced out and spied a set of rockets jump out of the Anti-Air Gun's canon. The explosion was promptly followed by her radio crackling to life.

"Anti-Air is functioning. Clearing the skies," Emile informed them. "Our pelican has begun its descent."

The pilot felt a split-second's worth of relief flood her body. _One step down._ Glancing at the techie who was absorbed in digging through the wires behind a panel she'd just pulled off, Six responded. "Acknowledged."

Six went through the second clip and started a third just as a shadow glided across the ground in front of her.

_Ah damn…_

A purple ship lowered into sight, perhaps 30 yards from the building, its canon immediately opening fire on the doorway. Six was almost unable to take out the grunt on the turret, just barely spying several elites and jackals touching down before being forced back inside. "We've got a drop-ship problem, and I don't think I can hold them," Six said emotionlessly. Whenever things got really tense, her voice always lost its luster as she threw aside any stray thoughts.

Looking down, she spotted the dead Marine's assault rifle and snatched it up, blindly firing into the crowd of enemies just outside as her shields recharged.

"Dammit," Kat cursed. "It's not working!"

Peering out, she knew they were out of time. Six slammed the door shut and tried to lock it. She immediately realized the dead man at her feet must've done the same thing, as the lock was utterly broken. Wedging the assault rifle under the door, she gripped it with one hand, shoulder leaning into the door. The moment she felt pressure against it the steel barrier, she pulled the trigger.

Yelling in an incomprehensible language ensued as bullets poured through the crack, striking enemy shins, but it lasted only a moment. Clip emptied, Six wedged the gun in harder before putting all her strength into keeping the aliens out.

The door shook and shuddered, leaping from the frame only to be slammed back in by Six's shoulder a half second later. The pilot knew the hinges wouldn't survive more than a few minutes of this. "Kat…" she groaned warningly, voice hoarse with effort.

"I know! I-"

But Six was didn't listen to the rest of the sentence. Suddenly, all the battering had stopped. Footsteps retreated slightly, but she didn't dare take her weight off the barrier.

Three soft thuds struck the other side of the surface in close proximity. A high pitched humming noise was suddenly audible through the door, its pitch continuing to rise. It was immediately recognizable.

"Get down!" Six yelled, reaching for her armor-lock.

There wasn't time. Everything was jumbled as she was blown backwards. Her back collided with something solid.

The world disappeared in darkness.

* * *

><p><em>It seemed like a fantastic(ally cruel) place to end the chapter :D.<em>


	9. Chapter 9

**_Okay guys, 2 months to the day after I last posted… Ta dah! Sorry for the long waits; inspiration is a fickle mistress. Not that that's a valid excuse or anything, but that's the best, closest thing to one I've got. But hey, on the bright side, I've already gotten the next chapter half way finished, so another update coming your way soon, and not "2 months soon." ;D_**

**_I'm planning on review feedback in the next chapter (really just wanna get this thing up fast for you all :D). But, on that note, I've gotta thank you lovely lads and ladies (hmm, I actually kind of like that – rolls off the tongue. "Lovely Lads and Ladies… Lovely Ladies and Lads?" Uhh, anyways…) for all the awesome feedback and encouragement. I love you peeps so much for putting up with me. Anyways, I should probably put my foot down and say "I've written enough rambling author's note stuff today." So hey, hugs and kisses (erm, I rarely/never really say that aloud irl… seems so strange coming from me now), and enjoy…_**

* * *

><p>SIX POV<p>

_"I don't know. She looks so much like him, I just don't know if I can handle it."_

_Alyss looked down blankly at the smiling, permanently-makeuped face between her hands. The frayed plush doll was designed to look like a clown, but its dull eyes and false grin offered no joy. Instead, the cobalt jumpsuit glued to its body reminded her of the figure she'd seen ghosting the forest trail on Arcadia almost a year prior. _11 months, 26 days, about 2 hours,_ she thought absently. She didn't keep it out of love, but she still looked at it, not wanting to forget._

_"You're her last living relative whom we haven't checked with. Guardianship would either pass to you, or, if you refuse, the child would continue with social services until we find either an adopted family or a program suitable for her." The voice drifted through the screen door, engaged in a conversation the she'd witnessed from afar twice before. Shifting on the worn, wooden porch steps, she listened disinterestedly._

_"I know, I know. But it's just- she's so quiet."_

_"She saw everything she'd ever known destroyed and watched her brother die."_

_There was a sigh. "I know. And I feel terrible about it. But I have three kids of my own, and would it really be good for them to be around such a petulant child?"_

_"I'm not saying she doesn't have problems. Her entire family was lost, and with nothing there to soften it for her. You must see how child has difficulty coping with these sorts of things, gets scars on the inside, and-"_

_The short, plump government man called Mr. Simons, who'd been trying to find her a home in the months gone by since hers was destroyed, set in on his practiced rant. Alyss had heard it all before, how he'd try to guilt-trip and explain that she herself was somehow broken inside. _But I'm not,_ she argued internally. Besides, from the tone of this distant aunt's voice, Alyss already knew what the answer would be._

_Shrugging to herself and the stuffed toy, she took to her feet and wandered away over small lawn of the suburban home. The scent of the freshly cut spears bleeding moisture beneath her feet was refreshing. It reminded her a bit of her abandoned home on Arcadia, except it was marred by the corrupt smell of pollution brought now and then by a warm breeze. It was an odor she couldn't abide, and it made her wonder how the people here could go to and fro with their lives, getting so used to the impure taint, to the off-colored sky, to the grimy layer that coated every surface, that they simply forgot what it was to live without it – to be able to see the stars staring back at night and fill one's lungs with an unspoiled breath. Or, for children who grew there, to not know that something better existed just a few dozen miles outside the city limits._

_Cool shade caressed her skin as her legs thoughtlessly carried her scrawny figure right up to the weathered trunk of an aging tree. _Oak,_ she identified, thinking back to Rory's books on flora and fauna of the universe. The titan plant stood tall and thick, a somehow-thriving reminder of the nature lost to the rest of the barren yard and sparsely cultivated neighborhood. She lifted a hand to touch it._

_The bark was withered and cracked from age and trial's passed, but it still felt solid and warm against her young, unmarked skin. She marveled at surface, slowly walking around the trunk, the pads of her fingers drifting over each bulge and break._

_It was on the far side that she saw it and stopped, fascinated-._

_Just above her head, was a deep jagged hole in the surface. It was bordered by jutting shards and splinters, signs of something that had been torn out and wrenched away. A piece had been lost, taken, and the wound had never faded. Yet, the tree clearly had spit in the face of whatever force had caused the injury, reaching to the sky and branching out with a vitality absent in every other part of its environment._

_ Her fingers hesitantly found the surface of one of the largest splinters, and on a whim, tried to snap it. It was a struggle, and not until she rested her whole weight upon the hard wood did it breakk free._

_The long shard was stiff and hard in her palm, a piece of core wood that had hardened and turned a deep greyish brown when forcefully exposed to the loss of other pieces of its whole._

_"Alyss, child."_

_The sound of her name snapped the spell of her curiosity, and she quickly pocketed the oaken fragment, covering the bit that wouldn't fit in the space with the hem of her t-shirt. She hesitated to leave, looking down at the doll hanging loosely by an arm in her other hand. Its alien eyes stared up at her. It had been a comfortless companion, an association with her past. But looking at the tree before her, her heart unknowingly recognized it for what it truly was: a cruel shackle holding back the future. Bending, she set it at the base of the oak, nestling its insincere form between two gnarled roots._

_"Alyss!" _

_"Coming," she called back. Shooting one last wide-eyed look at the darkened gap above her, she jogged away._

_She found Mr. Simons standing beside the woman who was her supposed relative. She was staring at the ground as the young girl approached._

_The social worker cleared his throat. "Alyss, dear, I'm afraid you won't be able to stay with your Aunt Claire's family. It appears they-"_

_"It's okay, I get it," she interrupted slowly. She looked up at the woman, who blushed and shifted uncomfortably at the attention. "Can I ask a question?" She didn't wait for confirmation. "Who planted that tree?"_

_The woman's cheeks paled a bit. "Your… your father and grandmother came to visit, a little over thirty years ago, when we were both kids. They thought the yard need a little something."_

_"What happened that made that big hole in it?"_

_"Aunt Claire's" eyes glazed over a little. "It was struck by lightning during a bad storm. Everyone made a big deal of it, because it was the same night your... father, went off-world. We all thought it would die out, but, I guess it proved us wrong."_

_Thinking of the shard nestled in her pocket, Alyss nodded at the explanation. She was so stuck in her thoughts, she didn't notice the grin curling across her lips._

* * *

><p>KAT POV<p>

Her helmet's exterior microphones dulled the explosion's roar, but the force caught Kat off guard. One moment, she was rushing through the control console's multi-colored mess of wires, and in the next things were flying across the room, herself included. She caught sight of Six's lower back slam into the console, the Spartan literally bouncing off the surface, body whipping with limp motion like a rag doll. She winced internally, though hardly able to process the scene as her own body hit the back wall before sliding to the cement floor.

And then it was over just as quickly as it had begun. From her position on the ground, the sound of rocking crates, electricity arcing nearby, and her own rushed breaths echoing inside her helmet seemed like a pleasant silence in the wake of the uproar. Traces of Covenant chatter outside, coupled with the sound of running feet which she was nearly certain weren't human, spurred her to fight through her confusion and formulate a plan.

_Six… is down. Drop ship, too many for my pistol. Ugh, my stomach hurts. _ She looked down and grimaced at the sight of an angular shard of tin poking out of the flexible black under piece of her armor._ No, doesn't feel too deep. Ignore pain. Must…do…something._

Footsteps were at the door, and she knew things weren't going to end well. _Damn. I'm- I'm sorry Alyss._ Kat resigned herself to the only course of action left. If she was going to die, it'd be with a pile of alien corpses beneath her feet. Gritting her teeth, she made to reach for her pistol holster.

"Don't move!"

The desperate command flooded in from her radio, catching her off guard. Two hesitated.

"If you want to live, Spartan, and see Alyss-B312 do the same, you won't lift a muscle." The urgent voice was distinctly female and undoubtedly human.

"You have three seconds to explain," she growled through clenched teeth, counting on her helmet to contain the sound.

"I'm repurposing the power from of your shields and external sensors to mask vital signs. Spartan-B312 is out cold, so she'll have no problem playing dead. I need you to trust me and do the same."

Kat's mind sprinted through the information, struggling to reach a decision; pull out her M6G and go out with her boots on, or entrust both her life and Six's to whoever this woman was, and maybe, just maybe, make it out of here. Make it out, or let those bastards kill them both without a fight. But there was a chance…

"Alright," she whispered.

"Thank you." The relief in the stranger's voice was palpable. "Ceasing communications. I need your radio's entire bandwidth."

Watching the radar HUD disappear from her visor's display, Two opened her mouth to acknowledged, but froze slack-jawed before the words came out.

A sangheili appeared above her, it's primarily silver armor shining dimly in the sparse lighting. She struggled not to react as it leaned in, its dark eyes searching her form from underneath the engraved crest of its decorated helmet. It stood there examining, plasma rifle clutched in tense fingers which directed the barrel at her torso.

_Whoever you are, you'd better be right about this, _she thought as something close to nervousness fluttered in her ribcage.

The moment seemed as though it would last forever, but finally, the creature's long mandibles twitched, and it called out something in its guttural native tongue. A similar voice replied, its source unseen. Whatever was said caused her observer to heft its weapon with one hand, shifting its stance but not leaving.

Kat watched, confused by the change until an intense force connected with her side, sending her body sliding a few inches and a sharp wave of pain through her nerves. Realizing she'd been kicked, she fought against her instincts, struggling to remain limp.

Her efforts must've been enough, for a moment later, the Covenant warrior left her limited field of vision.

Her breaths became easier as the aching lessened, but she still didn't dare move.

Seconds became minutes before her radio finally crackled to life.

"You're clear."

Kat was on her feet in a flash. The room was a jumbled disarray of damaged objects, much as she'd suspected. Spying Six's inert form beside the sparking console, she moved to kneel by it. "Who the hell are you?"

"The package."

The techie's eyebrows furrowed at the cryptic answer. "I'd like a straight answer." With a gloved hand, she gently rolled the unconscious Spartan over so that she lay flat on her stomach. Before she could continue the manipulation, something caught her eye. "Damn it!"

She reached down and gingerly detached Halsey's data core from its place on Alyss's back before holding it up to her visor for a better look. A harsh web of cracks and missing shards was all that was left of the hybrid polymer-glass surface that protected the now flickering blue light inside. Breaking away a few of the loose pieces with her titanium fingertips, she made to reach inside. A ray of cobalt light shot out before she could, startling her into nearly dropping the precious container. She watched curiously as the light became a rough, humanoid projection.

"We don't have time for introductions. My cell is losing power. I've taken the liberty of utilizing emergency backup measures to upload all files required for my preservation to Alyss-B312's suit." The body of light flickered, worrying the Two for a moment before it returned. "There are still hundreds of files of classified research data that must be delivered to the UNSC."

"Things aren't exactly that simple," Two groused.

"I've noticed," the AI replied wryly. It paused, for a moment. "You're being hailed by on a private channel."

"Emile," the Spartan suddenly recalled aloud. Looking at the limp form before her, she shook her head and sighed. "Put him through.

* * *

><p>CARTER POV<p>

"I'm up, I'm up," Carter mumbled sleepily, hoping it would appease whomever it was that kept poking him in the gut.

It didn't.

"Mom, just five more minutes..."

The prodding continued, unhindered. Letting out a hoarse groan, he let his eyes flicker open.

Hovering over his visor was a wide, smallish, dark face, covered completely by a bulky gas-mask save two large, curious eyes. The head cocked to the side, staring down at him. It was a moment before the Spartan realized what it was exactly that he was looking at. His hands seemed to figure it out before his head, one automatically darting up to clutch the things neck, the other going for his combat knife.

It struggled and squealed incomprehensible rubbish born of pure terror as the pressure increased on its windpipe. And then, it went limp, slumping out of sight as the super-soldier's glittering blade withdrew from its skull, coated in a sticky blue.

Groaning in effort, Carter braced his hands and sat up. The motion sent a wracking wave of pain through his body, but he gritted his teeth to it, refusing to cry out.

Wiping off the blade before returning it to its sheath, he glanced around. _Where the hell am I?_

Slowly, he slid from the Mongoose he'd been sleeping on. It was a movement accompanied by dull agony, or at least in comparison to that he'd done a moment ago. His heart and lungs reacted to the sensation, pulse quickening and breaths becoming shallow. Blackness swam across his vision, but he fought to maintain his consciousness and succeeded.

It took only a moment for him to realize he was standing on a lift of sorts in a rather large complex. It looked to be UNSC, but where exactly it was located, he hadn't a clue. The only other sign of life was the corpse of the nosey grunt oozing blood at his feet.

_I doubt that thing came alone,_ he decided, and started searching for weapons. He quickly discovered his DMR and assault rifles were both missing from his back plate. His magnum, however, was still strapped to his thigh. Searching for extra clips, he opened up his tactical hard-case. _Only two clips and… what's this?_

Slowly, his hand withdrew, bringing a half-filled syringe labeled "Morphine" with it. "Well, I guess it's my lucky day." Finding a tear in his under-armor, which wasn't at all difficult thanks to the mangled state of his equipment, he quickly administered the drug, letting the empty syringe drop to the ground once it had run dry. Within moments the pain dulled and his vision cleared a little. Yet, it wasn't quite enough to bring comfort. Sighing and gritting his teeth, he crouched and pried his most recent kill's plasma pistol from stubby, lifeless fingers. Checking it over, he slid it into his holster, preferring to keep his M6G at hand.

_Now what?_

He didn't have to wait long for an answer.

A shotgun blast rung out, accompanied by a familiar roar. _Emile. _

"C'mon, who's next? You want some?" The shotgun sounded again.

_Damn. _Carter traced the sound to the roof, and limped over to the lift's controls. Scanning the panel, he found what he hoped to be the "up" button and hit it. The platform beneath his feet shuddered to life as he offered himself a mental pat on the back.

The scuffling feet and shouts of a serious fight became clearer as the lift neared the top. He re-activated his radio, tuning it into Noble's private frequency. Trying to get in the game, One double checked his clip and primed the action before finding the halt command on the console. Releasing a slight groan, he dropped into a crouch, and watched the lip of the roof draw near. With three feet left to go, he hit the button and ducked against the wall. His body cried out in agony at every move. Taking a deep breath and pushing away the pain, he rose from cover.

Noble Four was struggling hand-to-hand with a sangheili which stood a good foot taller than himself. Carter immediately placed the alien's armor as a Spec. Ops variant. _Damn. Cloakers. _Knowing what to look for, he easily spotted the watery space closing on Emile's flank. "I've got your back, Spartan." His voice was still hoarse from his prolonged silence, but he ignored the discomfort, opening fire as soon as he'd given his teammate the heads up.

His first shot took the Elite by surprise, striking its torso. The second and third found its skull before its cloak could stabilize, sending it to the ground.

Carter's eyes roved the scene, searching for another tango. He didn't spot it until it was almost too late. "At your six! Duck!"

Emile immediately disengaged his opponent, dropping into a shoulder roll. A half-second later, an energy sword sliced through the space he'd been a moment prior. One's pistol rang out, and the creature immediately turned on him, sprinting to cover the ground between them. He tried to pick out sensitive places, firing nonstop at the charging enemy.

It dropped dead just two feet away, but its momentum carried it further. Carter ducked just as it soared over him, the corpse slam into the lift's rusting safety rail and come to a halt.

The encounter had made him realize just how bad his position was. This was a melee fight. His cover wasn't just useless; it left backed into a corner.

Half sliding, half crawling, he moved over to the alien's inert form. He was lucky. Its weapon still rested in its limp hand. Flipping his magnum into his left hand, he confiscated the dark, polymer cylinder. He took to his feet, jogging back towards the battle and levering himself up onto the roof. "Noble, catch!"

Emile, having dispatched his previous enemy with a knife to the throat, was now locked in a wrestling match with what seemed to be the final opponent, this one sporting its own energy blade. He landed a hard hook on the beast's jaw, buying him half a second. Turning, he looked up just in time to pluck the cylinder from the air with one hand. Carter watched his teammate flick his wrist, an energy sword appearing around his hand with an audible hum. Emile twisted around, firmly imbedding the blade in the elite's torso before jerking it upwards. The alien's mandibles fluttered with shock as the blade was pulled from its body, just shy of its head. It fell a moment later, muscles still writhing with wrath that would never be unleashed.

"Noble, what's the situation?" Carter made his way over to Emile, who was fishing his shotgun out from underneath a bloody corpse.

"Besides you coming back from the dead, sir?" The grin on the Spartan's face was audible. "Not good. Pelican's on its way for evac, and we've gotta keep this AA gun running."

One nodded and moved to the control seat. "Got it. Watch my back. What about Two and Six?"

Emile began reloading his weapon. "Went for the cannon's off-sight controls. They were going to uplink DOT, but a drop ship came in low and went straight for it. I haven't been able to re-establish contact since."

Carter grimaced as he sat down. "Six still has the package?"

"Yes, sir."

"Keep hailing them. When evac's one klik out, if they haven't responded, you'll run retrieval."

"Got it, sir." Carter heard Emile pump his shotgun and take position behind the gunner's seat. A moment later, his helmet crackled to life with Noble Four's hailing call.

Carter just wished for a response. He'd seemingly already dodged death's grip once today. Locking his sights on an inbound Phantom, he just hoped he wasn't the only one running on Luck's good side.

* * *

><p><em><strong>There you have it. Felt a bit slow, but necessary. Tell me watcha all think!<strong>_


	10. Chapter 10

_ I realized this past week that I have like, five-ish stories which I've started, but never really developed/finished. So, I've decided I'm going to focus on them one at a time. Lucky for you guys and gals, I'm starting with this one. Updates on the way._

* * *

><p>KAT POV<p>

"Noble Team, do you read, over?" Emile's words crackled to life in her helmet.

"This is Noble Two. I'm listening."

"Damn you two had us worried."

Kat's eyebrows furrowed. "Us?"

"The Commander is on his feet. Rough shape, but he wasn't very pretty to start with."

"Thanks, Spartan. I _can _hear this, you know." The voice, one gone far too long, brought a smile to the techie's lips as it went from wry to serious. "Noble Two, what's the status on the package?"

Upon reference, she looked down at the teammate beside her; the subtle wave of happiness broke and fell away. "The package was damaged but salvaged itself and stored its remains in Noble Six's armor. Six is down, but breathing."

"And remote firing?" Emile asked.

Kat frowned. "Give me a moment." She closed the channel. "Cortana, can you run a scan of this console?"

The slight, shimmering woman nodded. "One step ahead of you. It's far too damaged to actively control the Anti-Air cannon. However, its Com Array is more than functional."

An AI wouldn't spout information without purpose, or at least Two didn't think this one would. "What do you have in mind?"

"A data transfer. I can upload 93% of all valuable files directly to a nearby computer, such as those aboard the Pelican currently descending to our location. Best case scenario, the encryption confuses the aliens. Worst, the Covenant races get to read about themselves. But there's a catch."

"Catch?" Kat prodded tersely.

Cortana moved a hand of light to its chin, as if thinking. "The transfer, and thus our location, will be detected within moments of initiation. It'll take only a few minutes, but we'll have to be prepared to leave. I have… certain files which would be very… impractical to lose to a self-destruct sequence if I were to be captured."

Kat nodded sharply. "Prepare the transfer and wait for instruction. Noble One, do you copy?" she asked, reestablishing her radio connection.

"We've got you."

She swallowed. "Remote firing controls here are too damaged. You'll have to operate manually."

Her teammates seemed to take the ill turn of events in stride. "It'll be done. What about the package? Evac is five minutes out."

"Six is down, and I don't see how I'm going to get through that horde alone."

"Kat." Carter's voice was hard. "This is bigger than us. Don't do this because of Thom, or because Six saved your-"

"You know me better," Kat cut in icily, effectively ending his argument. "I can open an encrypted channel and transfer 93% of the files to the evac vessel, all of it non-sensitive in case of enemy retrieval. I'll be detected as soon as the process starts, but may have enough time to get out. What's your call?"

She could almost hear the Commander's internal struggle through the radio silence. Rocking on her heels, she waited.

"Do it. Establish contact with the Autumn and begin upload immediately. As soon as it's finished, I want you out of there. And, tell them to stay on route. One of us still might make it to evac."

Though she didn't quite understand his thinking on the last bit, she let it pass. "Understood. Noble Two out." She left the channel. "Cortana, get me Keyes."

Waiting, Kat crouched down next to her fallen teammate. She gently pried off the cold, gray helmet from Six's shoulders, revealing the woman's lax face. Its smooth planes struck Kat as though they were marked by a tired determination, even in the throes of unconsciousness. Her gloved hand reached out mindlessly, brushing a strand of dark hair from the Spartan's brow. The affection of the movement was surprising. Shaking her head, Kat pushed away the thought and replaced it with resolute focus.

"It's done," the AI informed.

Kat couldn't help but be impressed by the holographic woman's speed, but refused to let it show. She took a deep breath. It was time to set the wheels of their shaky plan in motion. "Keyes. This is Noble Two. Change of plans…"

CARTER POV

A shotgun roared somewhere behind his station, but Carter hardly noticed the sound. The smooth control sticks in his hands consumed his attention as he nudged them, guiding the cannon to its next target. The cross hairs on the screen found a Phantom, and he launched the firing sequence.

"Take that, you dumb Covenant bastards." The furious words weren't his.

Leaning out from his raised platform, the commander spotted Emile with his boot on a squirming Sangheili's neck. The Spartan's shotgun, barrel nestled against the creature's mandibles, jumped as Four pulled the trigger. The corpse twitched once and went limp. "Come on. Somebody has to want some more," Emile roared, but the rooftop was still, littered with dead or mortally wounded flesh.

Carter couldn't help but feel a bit for the man. He'd always been the reckless one, more concerned with making one more alien pay then his safety. _And sometimes his missions, _Carter pondered. It was a thought that had crossed his mind more times than he could count over the years. But somehow, while Emile had walked that fine line, he'd always fallen on the Commander's side. Noble One just hoped he would now, just one last time. _This is going to be damn hard for him._

"Noble Four. Get me an energy sword," Carter called out, turning back to the control panel. The AA cannon hadn't fully cooled yet. _Good._ He locked in another target and commenced fire before levering himself from the gunner's seat. Walking out to the small raised platform which anchored the five-meter-long ladder one had to climb in order to reach the weapon's controls, he found the Spartan looking up at him.

"Catch." Emile tossed a small, dark cylinder up to him.

It went a bit to the left, and Carter had to stretch to grab it, the movement sending a small wave of pain across his body. _Damn, I wish I had more morphine. Or maybe a good gin…_ Pushing the thoughts away, he flicked his wrist and pressed his thumb into the cylinder's surface's only defect, a slight dip in the surface. The three foot long blade appeared with a hum.

Feeling his teammate's gaze upon him, he tried to ignore it, settling down into a kneel. He looked down at the ladder below him. _Here goes._ With a hard sweep, the energy weapon bit into the steel moorings. It took two more hits before they severed completely, sending the crisscross of metal bars clattering to the rooftop. Work done, he thumbed the dip again and the blade retracted. It spun end over end through the air when he tossed it down to the other Spartan.

"What are you doing?" Emile asked cautiously, smoothly plucking the weapon from the air with one gloved hand.

Carter didn't reply immediately, his breaths rapid and out of control as he tried to wrestle away the agony his antics had sent coursing across his body. Cool beads of sticky sweat gathered on his forehead beneath his helmet. "Throw that thing off the roof, and see if you can't do the same to the ground ladder." Hoisting himself up, the Commander hurried back to the panel to take another shot before the firing system could cool and reset completely. As he finalized the input, his radio interrupted the silence.

"Noble Leader?"

"Noble Two. What is it?"

"Contact has been established with the evac vessel. Upload just started."

Carter took the development in stride. "Good. As soon as it's finished, get as far away from here as possible, as fast as possible."

"But sir, we need to get you-"

"No, Kat."

Her silence affirmed her understanding.

_What am I supposed to say? Goodbye? _He pushed away the uncertainty. "As soon as that bird is out of range, this place is going to blow. Don't be here when it does."

"Commander…" The word was slow.

"Kat. Good luck," he finished quietly, closing the channel.

"I could only get the top section – about ten feet," Emile informed, returning from his task.

Carter nodded as he took another shot. "Good. Now get on that bike and get to the evac site."

"Wait, what? Sir, I'm not going anywhere." Emile crossed his arms over his chest just as Carter ducked back outside.

"Like hell you're not. That's an order Spartan," Carter growled forcefully. He fought to not let his breath catch from the pain in his chest. "When that bird leaves, this cannon is going to overheat. The reactor's explosion will wipe out this entire facility. So you're going to go. Now." He paused. "Please."

Emile didn't respond immediately, staring up at his captain behind his skulled visor, tension thick between them. It didn't snap until Four's hand snapped into a salute, his body rigid and straight.

Carter's worries evaporated, replaced by warmth as he witnessed the expression of honor he'd only received from the man once before. The Commander's hands slowly found his cracked and beaten helmet, pulling it from his shoulders. Tucking the faceguard under an arm, he snaked fingers under the collar of his shirt, fishing out the chain. They withdrew, accompanied by UNSC-forged steel links. His name, rank, his birthdate, program information, his Spartan ID. Everything ounce of definition, every line of body and soul.

Carter threw them down.

Breaking form, Emile caught the dog tags in one hand, wordlessly sliding them into a pouch on his chest plate. As soon as they were secure, he looked up, meeting the commander's gaze for a moment before spinning away on a heel.

Smiling sadly, Carter watched the Spartan activate the lift and climb onto the mongoose. Emile never looked back.

SIX POV

She could hear distant voices growing closer as her childhood faded, feel a gentle caress ghosting over her cheek, a hand shaking her shoulder.

"Captain Keyes, this …Cortana. Prepare for data transfer on Aszod encrypted channel, frequency one, three... All non-hyper-sensitive files with access restrictions below level 5 will be transferred to you… jump coordinates for immediate usage. Do you acknowledge?" The fragments of speech became clearer.

"Acknowledged. Opening transfer channel now. You may begin."

Six willed herself to cling to the unfamiliar voices, to not drift back into oblivion.

"Alyss... Six... Come on, wake up." The accent of the anxious request was unmistakable as it reinforced Six's efforts.

Her eyes slowly opened into a squint.

Kat's sculpted face was hovering above her, helmetless, staring down with worried blue eyes. "Six, can you hear me?"

The pilot groaned. "Why is it every time we hangout, I wake up to your beautiful face and an aching body?" Even in her puzzled state, she immediately realized how suggestive the line had sounded with only a little help from Kat's unreadable expression. "And not so much the good kind of aching."

Kat shook her head and smiled slyly. "We'll have to fix that sometime." Alyss's eyes widened. "But right now, we need to move. Can you get up?"

Six flexed her limbs and nodded, struggling to sit up despite the pain in her back and head. Gloved hands found her back and wrist as Kat helped her forward. Kat slung Six's arm over her shoulder, supportively hoisting the recently-awoken Spartan to her feet.

Six's vision swam at the change in altitude, but she shut her eyes and gritted her teeth, refusing to blackout again.

"Cortana, how much time do you need?" Kat asked, sliding her own helmet back on before handing over Six's. Alyss, having not really noticed the missing piece of equipment, quickly donned it.

"Upload is at 98%. Estimated forty-two seconds required to finish and close channel."

Six looked at the small blue figure hovering over the cracked cylinder. _The package!_ "Kat, what's going on?"

"Improvisation." The Spartan jogged to the door, ducking and peering out. "Shit. They'll have us in the open."

"The roof. I parked the mongoose on the backside of the building," Six recalled.

"Good. Let's get you up." Kat grabbed her arm and began pulling Alyss towards the ladder in the back corner.

"Wait," the blue woman interrupted. "My systems are in B132's armor. I need her to stay until it's finished."

Starting to get the gist of things, Six nodded. "Kat, I'll be right behind you."

The techie hesitated for only a fraction of a second before starting to climb.

"Ten seconds until channel termination," the woman informed, but Six hardly noticed, her attention far more taken by the guttural alien shouts not far away.

"Five seconds."

Six moved to the ladder, stepping to the bottom rung. _C'mon, c'mon…_

_"_Three, two, one." The holographic figure blinked out as Halsey's broken storage unit went dark. However, the latest Noble member didn't see it, too busy scrambling up the ladder rungs.

_Don't let them see me_, she begged, trying to ignore the pounding in her head and focus on the brief ascent.

She reached the top and levered her boots from the opening, rolling away just as the first Elite bounded up the steel steps to the building's disheveled entrance. Staying low, she moved to the roof's edge in a crouch. She spotted her teammate. Kat was already waiting on their getaway vehicle.

"Jump!"

Alyss responded immediately and stepped from the roof. Her feet hit sandy soil, knees buckling as she grunted in pain. Kicking up ground, she struggled to stand.

The mongoose revved to life as Kat toyed with the throttle. "Six!" She reached out with a hand, which the pilot promptly took, letting herself be guided onto the rear of the bike. "Hold on to me!"

Six wrapped her arms around the driver's torso just as the bike popped into gear. The engine roared, wheels spinning and spraying dirt as the rear-end slid about under Kat's control. And then they were off, clear sky and unforgiving rock blurring together as her eyes struggled to keep up with the flying landscape.

"We're… going the wrong way," Six realized. "Evac is-"

"Change of plans. We're not making it to evac."

Six tried to grasp the change, but something was wrong. _The fall from that roof…_ her head reeled painfully as her adrenaline-induced strength began to fade. "I… I think I…" She felt her grip on the other Spartan loosening.

A hand was suddenly there, anchoring her own to Kat's torso. "Shit Six. Hold on."

The words echoed and twisted, sounding as if spoken from underwater and fading quickly.

"Just hold on."

EMILE POV

"Eeeep!" A grunt screamed out, its eyes wide with terror as Emile bore down on it, shotgun held firm by one outstretched arm. It bucked with a pull of the trigger, sending the alien to the ground, but the Spartan's bike was flying too fast for him to investigate the corpse.

"Come on!" He urged the mongoose on, though the throttle was already wide. _I've got to be close._ Four gritted his teeth as he swung his bike around the last corner. The sight that greeted him was relieving… nearly. The Pelican was there, but he could see it wouldn't be for long. Bright licks of fire shot from the thrusters as they increased power.

_No. This won't be for nothing._

"Evac bird, this is Noble Four. Hold that bird for ten seconds," Emile growled into his helmet mike, hoping it would be picked up.

Apparently, it was. The bird hesitated, and it was all he needed as his bike neared the dock's edge. Its wheels left the pavement, but he wasn't there to feel it. Instead, he was flying through the air, sprint enhancement activated as he wind-milled towards the bird.

And then he was inside, rolling across the Pelican's floor. Strong hands pulled him to his feet, and Emile found himself staring face to face with an aged man in officer's regalia. "Get this bird moving." He shoved the hands away, moving to the back of the bird.

"You heard the man! Get us out of here," the officer confirmed.

The docks of Aszod fell away as the aircraft gained altitude and distance.

A few minutes later, the older man came back. "Spartan."

But Emile's attention was riveted to the ground below, witnessing through narrowed eyes the mass of flames and plumes of dark, acrid smoke, hungry fingers reaching up from soil to sky.

* * *

><p>Bam. And so ends the Reach campaign, as per the game. Now to my universe and maybe some Halo 1… not sure how far I'll go, but I've got some arc planned ;)<p>

Anyways, criticism and reviews much appreciated!


	11. Chapter 11

_So, I've been gone for a little while... Approximately 2-3% of my life (if being verrrry optimistic). Continued subscriptions and a review or two guilt tripped me, you terrible people.  
><em>

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><p><strong>SIX<strong>

_The man before her was unlike anyone she'd met. Not quite as tall as her dad had been, but layered in muscle and a coating of confidence she'd never seen before. "Nine-years-old. Orphan. Huh. So, now the sniveling politicians are throwing homeless kids onto the battlefield to get rid of them. That how it is?" His accusing gaze moved to the social worker at Alyss's side._

_The young woman faltered under the Sergeant's eyes. "Of course not, sir… we only… we'd never…"_

_Alyss watched for a second in wonder before finding her own voice. "I don't know much about sniveling politicians, but I volunteered, Sir. Er, Sergeant," she fumbled respectfully, unsure of proper protocol. He had a rank that wasn't Private, so that meant she had to be extra respectful. Right?_

_"Is that so, little lady?" He knelt before her. The social worker slinked into the background, all too happy to no longer be the focus of the fiery man's wrathful attention. _

_"Yes, Sergeant, sir."_

_His youthful face was offset by the aged wisdom in his eyes. Her own gaze fell to the ground beneath the weight of his._

_"That's fine and dandy, girl, but no child belongs here. I don't think you know what you've signed up for. I've got it in my head that I should turn you right around and send you back to whatever life you came from."_

_Fear bubbled up in her belly. "You can't!" she countered frantically, eyes meeting his. "You can't make me." She gritted her teeth at the outburst. "I mean, I won't, Sir."_

_"Yeah? And why is that?" There was a flicker of something in those eyes. _

_Her hands pulled at each other nervously. " Because I know what I signed up for. To learn to fight. To protect myself and other kids like me, so that they don't have to end up alone like me. I don't have anywhere else to go...anywhere I want to go."_

_There was a moment of silence, his stare dissecting her as she worried over whether or not she'd said the right things._

_But then he pulled out a pen and signed off on the clipboard. "I don't have to like this," he muttered as he scribbled away at the forms the social worker had brought along. "Hell, you're too much like my daughter." He tore a pink piece of paper out from beneath the one he'd written on and held it out to the forgotten young woman standing off to the side. " Thank God I'll be shipped out of here soon enough and this selling of souls will be left to the pencil pushers."_

_Alyss watched and listened in puzzled silence until he took to his feet and looked down at her. She felt insignificant in the shadow of his frame but refused to let it show. _Am I in or not? _she wondered. She was about to voice the question when the Sergeant's hand snapped into a salute like the one she'd seen some of the other men and women on base giving each other. "Welcome to the UNSC, soldier."_

_The way he said it, so serious and certain, nearly made her mouth fall open. Yet, she caught herself, clenching her teeth tightly as excitement, worry, and relief tangle themselves into a knot in her stomach. Alyss straightened her spine as she mirrored his form. "Thank you, sir."_

_Another soldier came forward to usher her away, but before he could, she gave the confident man a smile. "Thank you, Sergeant, Mister…"_

_"Keyes," he filled in tiredly as she was taken by the hand and guided away. "Sergeant Keyes…"_

_The rest of what he said was muddled as she was pulled clear of the tent. The scrawny youth mulled over those final words, trying to decipher them as she and her escort wove between trucks and squads of men and women, yet she always seemed to return to the same sentence – one which she just knew couldn't be right._

_"Sergeant Keyes, the man who signed away your humanity."_

_Yet, had she peered back at the man who watched her walking away, she might have seen the sorrow in those eyes and known the truth of it._

* * *

><p><strong>SIX<strong>

Her eyes opened to such blackness that it was neigh impossible to tell whether or not they truly were open. After a few moments of staring, she felt the need to blink and knew the truth of it. She wasn't dead after all.

Though, the splitting pain in her head as she tried to sit up made her wish she was. Alyss's efforts ceased under the onslaught of agony. "Damn." The curse fell from her parched mouth in a weak, raspy, painful groan. Shoring her strength with deep breaths, she gritted her teeth and tried again more slowly. Her vision blacked as her body straightened, but she managed to brace herself up with her quivering arms. Sitting in silence and waiting for the pounding in her head to slow, she realized she was lying on a poorly padded cot, a thin woolen blanket still draped over her legs. Her armor was gone. Its absence was strange – after living in it for weeks, being free of it felt like the equivalent of being naked.

_Where am I?_ The thought bubbled up through the pain. Her eyes quickly honed in upon a crack of light near the floor a few yards away, giving away the position of a door. Swinging her legs off the edge of the bed, the soles of her feet found the cold comfort of a steel floor. Six made to stand only to find her balance all but gone. Yet her feeble hands found the wall in front of her before it was too late. Leaning heavily against the surface, she made her way to the door.

Her fingers fumbled, finally finding the knob. The surface fell away as she turned it, revealing cave walls lit dimly by a small fire built from little more than twigs. A silhouette crouched beside it, still unaware of her presence. Squinting as her eyes adjusted, Alyss stepped away from the support of the door frame and towards the light. Her stiff joints and muscles protested immediately. "Damn…"

The silhouette jolted, twisting to face her but still unrecognizably thanks to the combination of Alyss's blurred vision and the writhing shadows. "Six?"

The accent gave it away. "Kat." Alyss felt her cracked lips curling into a smile, but the expression froze half-way at the realization that her legs were giving out. "Oh crap."

The ground rushed towards her, but before they could meet hands, one human, one robotic, snaked beneath her arms, slowly pulling her upright.

"Thanks," she mumbled.

"You wake from death and can't even wait ten minutes before trying to wander out of bed?" The Lieutenant Commander chastised more worried than angry. She tried to turn them around and return to the room Alyss had just stumbled out of, but the pilot wasn't having any of it.

"Fire, please."

"Six, you need to rest…"

"Fire, please," she repeated like a broken record.

Two sighed, caving in after a moment of struggle. "You'll kill yourself yet, and then where will I be?"

"Sorry, mom," Alyss replied cheekily as she was guided to a place beside the fire. The room swam around her, but she tried to ignore it, focusing on the Spartan supporting her. "I guess I'm just not a very restful person." The sandstone she settled on was rough and uncomfortable, almost making her regret her refusal to go back inside. It had been a long time since she'd had the privilege to simply lie back on an actual bed of any sort. Yet, she knew that if she tried to sleep now, her aching, half-awake muscles would thwart the attempt. "Where are we?"

Alyss watched Kat settle down to her right; there was something off about Two, but whatever it was, the pilot pain-hazed mind couldn't quite figure it out.

"The mining outpost… where we found the Mongooses." The techie frowned.

The expression stole Six's attention; the planes of Two's face, lines deepened and peaks illuminated by the dancing firelight, was suddenly extraordinarily fascinating to Alyss in her stupor.

"What do you remember?"

Alyss blinked. "What?"

"What's the last thing you remember?"

Biting her bottom lip in concentration, Six tried to focus on something other than woman beside her. Her thoughts clawed their way back through the blackness. "Aszod."

Images of the base came flooding back. Images of the battle, of a small shack and Kat's fingers working over the console. The sound of an electric hum outside the door.

"We were at the remote firing site. I held the door but… but they grenaded it." She tried harder, but nothing else would come. "That's all I've got," Six admitted, looking at the fire anxiously as the weight of their situation rushed back to her alongside a million questions.

"Hey." A hand settled on her shoulder. "It's okay."

Meeting the reassuring, green-eyed gaze of the woman beside her, Alyss nodded and tried to swallow only to find the motion impossible. "Water?"

"Of course." Kat sprang to her feet and moved out of Six's line of sight. The worse-for-the-wear pilot didn't have it in her to turn and watch her companion.

Her return was heralded by quiet footsteps and the coarse softness of a rough blanket being settled on Six's shoulders.

"Thanks," the pilot offered with a small smile as the other Spartan settled back down. She watched the woman's movements; she still felt that there was something different about her teammate, but couldn't quite pinpoint it.

Kat just nodded the gratitude away. She put a bottle of water and a protein bar in Six's hands. "At least the team here before us left plenty of emergency rations behind."

Taking a long draw from the bottle, Alyss felt her body begin to come back to life immediately, but her stomach still felt queasy at the thought of solid food. Setting the energy bar aside, she wiped her mouth on the back of her hand. "So, what did I miss?"

Kat drew her knees to her chest and stared into the flames. "The package was damaged by the explosion but had an emergency protocol to transfer itself to another viable host – your armor. It used your suit's resources to mask our vitals long enough that we were taken for dead." She released a heavy sigh and ran a hand through her shorn hair and stretched out, back resting on the rocky earth. "Everything went to hell from there.

"The explosion damaged the remote controls. I couldn't uplink DOT. The skies were too hot for the evac bird to wait for long. The package uploaded as much non-sensitive data to the Pillar of Autumn as possible, but at the cost of giving our position to the enemy. I managed to wake you up long enough for us to make it to the mongoose. You lost consciousness shortly after. This was the safest place I could think of taking you."

Alyss frowned, picking at the sandy floor. "You should've taken the package and made it to the evac site," she reasoned.

The sharp response she received made her regret the statement immediately.

"And leave you there to die with the others?" Kat asked coldly.

Alyss's eyes darted to her teammates'. "The others?" she prompted after a moment.

Kat closed her eyes and sighed again. "The Commander woke up and helped Emile hold the anti-air gun long enough for the ship to escape, but… they overheated the cannon so that the reactor would become unstable. Blew the whole place to Hell, Covenant and all," she finished tightly.

Wide-eyed, Alyss tried to soak it all in. Emile and Carter… Gone. In the blink of an eye, just – just gone. She was a soldier. She'd seen men and women die in the heat of battle. She'd seen more than she cared to. Yet, her heart caught in her throat. Looking at the techie, she realized that the loss she felt, after only a few months working together, couldn't possibly hold a light to what Kat was going through after years spent being a Noble.

Six wasn't very versed in the way of comforting; being a lone operative never afforded anything in the way of emotion or connections. But somehow she found the nerve to place a hesitant hand on the robotic one beside her. "I'm… I'm sorry," she half-whispered. The apology was weak; she cringed the moment the pair of insufficient words left her mouth.

But synthetic fingers squeezed her own all the same.

"You've been asleep for the better part of five days," Kat admitted after a moment.

"Five days?" Alyss parroted incredulously.

"Serious concussion. You absorbed the force of several grenades at near point-blank. Luckily, there were medical supplies here. If I hadn't found the IVs, you'd probably be dead of dehydration."

Six automatically took another swig of water, draining half the bottle. "You've been mothering me for five days?" she puzzled, trying to figure out why someone would put that much effort into her survival. It was tactical stupidity – the Covenant would be glassing this planet soon enough, and when that happened… well, anyone who cherished life would make sure they were already long gone. A comatose Spartan, weighing in at over a quarter-ton in her armored glory, was nothing but dead weight.

Yet, it was the sort of tactical stupidity that made her feel a little warmer inside.

"Infer that I'm your mother one more time, Six, and I may start to regret my decision to save your ass."

"Sorry...mom." Even with one foot in the grave, she just couldn't help herself.

The light in Two's eyes was well worth the false frown on her mouth.

"So," Alyss continued, at last prying her eyes from the other woman's lips, "what's our plan?"

"We wait until you're ready to travel," Kat answered, sitting up to face her cross-legged. "Then we find a way off this planet."

Six opened her mouth to argue against waiting but got no further.

"You've been running wounded and on fumes since Alexandria. I'm not going to try dragging you halfway across the planet just so you can die somewhere along the way." She paused, her determined gaze holding Alyss's. "Especially not after investing five days into keeping you alive."

It was hard to argue with that. The thought of walking made Six's head spin all on its own. Or perhaps it was just the daze she was still struggling with. Or maybe, it was the look she was receiving. Underneath its fierce certainty laid something softer – magnetic. Her eyes drifted down the planes of Kat's face, stopping at a patch of mottled purple resting on her jawbone. "You're bruised." Without a thought, Alyss's fingertips rose to the injury, ghosting over the discolored skin.

"You throw a mean hook, even when half-asleep," Two joked quietly.

Alyss's eyebrows furrowed. New Alexandria, she recalled. She'd woken up from her injury, her fists swinging at ghosts in nightmares only to nail Kat instead. It had only been two days ago, yet the memory held the fogginess of years.

She frowned, the bruise pulling at her until she began to lean towards it. The movement made her light-headed, yet her lips brushed the injury's surface, trailing feather light kisses from where her fingers cradled Two's chin to the corner where her jaw hinged. Kat sat wide-eyed and stock-still as Alyss pulled back to find her gaze again. "Better?" she half-mumbled in askance.

Kat nodded, lips parted and gaze flickering to mouth that had just traced a path across her skin.

A triumphant grin spread across Alyss's features as her eyelids drooped shut. "Good," she whispered, squeezing the synthetic hand still grasped in her left. Her head dropped to Two's shoulder as sleep pulled at her consciousness once more. "Good."

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><p><em>And there you go. Whew. That's been around, waiting to be posted for a long while. Any other updates will be a bit sooner... hopefully.<br>_


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